Third Eye
by Dreamweaver4121
Summary: It is said, though, that before he was cast away, Xeon promised he’d return and exact his revenge when a man with a third eye came upon our village." Set after 'Tainted Hearts'. *Complete*
1. Third Eye

Within this story, we have characters from Dragonball Z. Obviously, since this is where the characters came from, I don't own any of them. No profit is being made from this story. Any lawsuits that still may arise won't net much, since I am quite poor.

This story has been rated PG by the Imaginary Fanfiction Raiting Board.

Prologue…

On the bottom tip of the southern continent, far away from the hustle and bustle of everyday city life, was a rustic mountain village. This was, by some standards, a backwater village devoid of any of the modern conveniences. It was also, by some standards, a small village, with a population of only ten thousand residents. 

While one would scoff at such a place, it did offer one thing that large cities could never provide…a truly peaceful environment. While it was true that it did have it's fair share of rogues, the peace loving people stood together and, usually, justice prevailed. 

Night was falling upon this little village and everyone was busy doing their nightly rituals for retiring for the night and getting ready for the day ahead of them. In one house, hardly discriminate of any other, one of those rituals involved putting, not quite sleepy children to bed.

"Athen! Duon! Come on!" shouted an old man

"Aw, grandpa…" whined one of the boys.

"Yeah, I know, I know. But you have to get up early to go to school. So let's go." Slowly, the two children trudged into their room, their grandfather following closely behind. Once they got to the children's room, the grandfather made sure that the children, as they were told, put on their nightclothes and got into their beds. After they finished changing and climbed into their beds, the old man gave both kisses on their foreheads. "You two have a good night. Sleep well."

"Grandpa, can you tell us a story?" the boy, Duon asked.

"Now kids, it's late," chided the old man. "You should get right to sleep."

"Please," begged the other, Athen.

"Well…I guess one story wouldn't hurt. Just don't tell your grandmother, okay?" The two boys readily agreed and sat up in their beds, eagerly awaiting the promised story. The old man scratched his chin thoughtfully. Then he snapped his fingers, "You know about that old castle near the lake, right?"

"The one that everyone warns us not to go near?" said Athen.

"That's the one. And there's a good reason you shouldn't go near that castle. A long time ago, an evil king that lived in that castle ruled this village. He was a powerful king that had twin manacles that provided him with great strength and an amulet that was attached to his chest that provided him with endless demon minions that would do his bidding.

"One day, the evil king grew tired of ruling over this one, pitiful village. With his demon horde at his beck and call, he turned his sites on the rest of the continent. Not one of these villages had any warriors capable of fighting against these demons and as a result, the king named Xeon, had conquered the entire land. Many years had passed and the people of the continent had suffered very greatly at the hands of this tyrant. But of course, as with any man consumed with greed, all that he had was not enough for him. Now that he had the continent under his control, he went after the very world itself.

"However, as he began his bid for world domination, a rumor began to spread that one of the towns he conquered had liberated itself. The rumors were true, for a young man named Kafye, who had grown up in the demon ruled environment had trained himself to be a powerful magician, capable of defeating the demons that lorded over his village. Outraged, Xeon sent his most powerful demon warrior to that village to kill Kafye. 

"But even the strongest demon warrior couldn't stand up to Kafye's power. As soon as the people heard of Kafye's victory, they began to rise up and fight back against Xeon's forces. Finally, Kafye faced off against Xeon himself. The two powerful forces battled each other fiercely for days unend until finally, Kafye was victorious. Using his magic, Kafye sealed Xeon's evil spirit in a jewel that is hidden within that castle, while Xeon's manacles and the amulet that summoned the demons were cast to the far reaches of the Earth.

"It is said, though, that before he was cast away, Xeon promised he'd return and exact his revenge when a man with a third eye came upon our village. So you better stay away from the castle, or the man with the third eye will get you!"

"Wow…that was cool!" awed Duon.

"Aw, come on, you don't really believe that, do you?" went Athen.

"Now, that's enough," their grandfather ordered. "You two go to sleep. I'll see you two in the morning."

"Goodnight grandpa!" chimed the boys in unison. 

The old man closed the door behind him and went to the living room, where he sat down and lit a pipe. As he took a puff, his wife of many years sat down beside him. "Just couldn't resist telling them that rubbish about evil king Xeon and the man with the third eye, could you?"

The old man sweatdropped, "What, can't an old man have a little fun? Besides, if it'll keep them out of that old, dangerous castle, what's the harm?"

"I just wish you wouldn't fill the boys heads with such nonsense."

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In the wilderness not far away from the small village, two well-traveled warriors had set up camp for the night. While the smaller warrior, Chaozu, rested comfortably in his sleeping bag, his companion, Tenshinhan, could not. He lay awake, staring at the stars, wishing in vain for sleep to overtake him.

Sitting up quietly so as not to disturb his friend, he craned his neck to peer behind him. Above the tops of the trees in the distance, stood an old castle, bathed in the moonlight and standing majestically in front of a lake. He concluded that the old castle was the cause of is insomnia, for he felt strangely drawn to the castle. 

He didn't know what the story behind the castle was, but he was determined to find out…

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	2. Third Eye

"Yamucha? Why did we leave home again?"

After he returned home from his last visit from Capsule Corp., Yamucha packed up all of his belongings and with his longtime friend, set out on this long journey. Deciding to take as much time as they wanted, Yamucha walked much of the way, with Puar floating at his side. They were currently deep within the wilderness neighboring the village of Celeron. "I just couldn't stand sitting there doing nothing, Puar. I know if I did, I'd dwell on Bulma and Vegeta..." Puar didn't notice, but as he mentioned their name, his left eye twitched slightly. "I figured with my mind occupied, I wouldn't think about...them too much."

Puar thought about it. "Hmm...I suppose it's a good idea after what you told me about your last visit...but where exactly are we going?"

"Well, right now, we're going to pay Tenshinhan a little visit. Haven't seen him in a while and I just thought I'd say hi. After that..." Yamucha shrugged.

Puar wasn't sure how to take the trailing sentence. She liked the almost constant presence of their friends and wasn't sure if she wanted to go back to it just being the two of them, especially with how Yamucha had been over the last few months. They going to that tournament and seeing Goku for the first time in almost 10 years was a good thing. She hadn't seen Yamucha genuinely smile like that in a long time. She knew, though, that the way he was acting while sitting in the stands with Bulma and the others was just that...an act.

She knew Yamucha wasn't happy with the way that whole mess turned out. It must have been murder for him to have to stand by and look at Bulma cry and worry when Vegeta turned on them and killed all of those people at the stadium...then after that whole mess was over, Vegeta was just accepted back among the group with no real explanation given.

So when she found out what happened to Yamucha when he disappeared, she knew when he attacked Bulma and Vegeta, it wasn't totally against his will. "Hmm...I guess when I think about it, it's the right thing to do. I know you still care about Bulma and you don't want to do anything to harm her. I just got used to living in a comfortable house, I guess. I don't know if I could go back to living as a bandit, though."

The last portion of Puar's statement never reached Yamucha's ears. She was right...he did still care for Bulma...why? She obviously didn't care anything about him, or she wouldn't have allowed herself to have been bedded by that...by Vegeta. So why was it he still held a place in his heart for her all these years?

Suddenly, Yamucha stopped walking. Puar came to a halt as well and turned back to her friend. "Yamucha? What's the matter?"

"I've been a fool..."

"Yamucha?"

"I've been a damned fool this whole time...why haven't I seen this before?"

"Yamucha???"

There was a loud bang off in the distance that immediately caught the pair's attention, cutting off any further conversation. After the echo of the explosion faded, a whistling sound began...low at first, then slowly increasing in intensity. Before it got to the point of being unbearable, something crashed through the branches in the trees above and crashed into the ground in front of the duo. 

Apparently, the object was caught in the explosion and hurtled through the air, causing the whistling, much like a rocket. The object was smoldering, but the smoke coming off of it wasn't enough to hide the fact that the object in question was, in fact, a person...a person Yamucha and Puar knew well.

"CHAOZU!!!"

Dreamweaver Studios Presents

Dragonball Z: 

Third Eye

Part one

After finding their friend, Yamucha and Puar set up camp; after which, they tended to Chaozu, bandaging his wounds and giving him water to drink. After all three were settled in, Yamucha asked the burning question, "What happened to you Chaozu?"

The diminutive mime looked down into his water, "It...it was Tenshinhan."

"That can't be right," blurted Puar. "Tenshinhan would never hurt you!"

"Yeah, the two of you are closer than most brothers," added Yamucha.

"Well...it was Tenshinhan...but...it wasn't."

"Huh?" went Yamucha. "Okay, you lost me."

"Well...let me start at the beginning..."

_**        **        **        **        **        Flashback       **        **        **        **        **_

_It was still very early in the morning when Chaozu blearily awoke from his sleep. The skies were still dark and the towering trees obscured the first rays of sunlight. Letting his eyes get used to the darkness, Chaozu craned his neck, looking for his travel mate. He found him standing a few feet away, apparently staring off into space._

"_Hey...is something the matter?"__ Chaozu asked, still wiping the sleep from his eyes._

"_Can you feel that?"__ asked Tenshinhan._

_Chaozu stopped for a moment and opened his senses wide. He was half expecting to feel another extraordinarily strong presence that posed some sort of threat to the Earth...one, no doubt, that Goku and the other Saiyans were engaged with in battle. _

_It was always terrible to see Tenshinhan when they knew there was some sort of battle going. Ever since the Cell incident, Tenshinhan hadn't had the same will to fight as he had in the past. His goal since hooking up with Goku was to surpass him. Now that Goku had progressed to such an unreachable level and getting stronger all the time, Tenshinhan didn't see any reason to continue. _

_His run in with Cell proved that. After all the training he received from Kami, Kaio, and after all the preparation for the Androids, he wasn't a match for any of them...Cell especially. Tenshinhan attacked Cell more power than Chaozu thought he was capable of generating. Even then, the best he was able to do was slow him down._

_His recent bout with Majin Buu didn't help matters any. Before, Tenshinhan stopped associating with the group, vowing not to return until he was, at least, on the same level as a Super Saiyan. Now that even that level of strength wasn't good enough, he gave up completely. Sure, he still trained, but Chaozu could tell there was something missing now...that there was something Tenshinhan lost._

_So it was that when the mysterious battles raged before, particularly that one with Vegeta and the person with the gigantic power that felt, for a moment like Yamucha, Tenshinhan made a passing mention of it, nothing more._

_Chaozu expected this to be one of those passing mentions, but, "__...I don't feel anything."___

"_You don'__t?"__ Tenshinhan asked. Chaozu shook his head. "__Hmm...that's strange...There'__s something weird out there...it's...it's like it's calling for me. I'm going to find out what it is. What do you say? You feel like doing some exploring?"___

"_Sure!"__ With everything that was happening, Tenshinhan had been feeling very down for the past few days. Chaozu thought the distraction would do him some good._

_**        **_

_After passing the village they camped near, they came upon an ancient castle positioned in front of a lake. Inexplicably, Chaozu began shivering. What he couldn't feel before while in the wilderness, he could feel now and it unnerved him greatly._

"_I don't like this place...it gives me the creeps..."___

_Paying no heed to Chaozu's warning, Tenshinhan forced the old door open and cautiously stepped inside. Not wanting to be separated, Chaozu followed him in._

_The inside of the castle was just as expected...the walls were covered in moss from decades of neglect. The furniture that survived age was covered in thick layers of dust and spider webs. The spooky atmosphere unnerved Chaozu. He expected a ghost or the like to pop out of nowhere and chase after them. He flew in front of Tenshinhan to try to convince him to leave, but the look in Tenshinhan's face scared Chaozu further. It was almost as if he were in a trance of some kind._

_Methodically, Tenshinhan made his way deeper into the castle, walking down many flights of stairs reaching its catacombs. At the bottom of the last flight of stairs, they were faced with a long, dark hallway. The small amount of light that filtered into the castle from the cracks in the outside walls and through the dingy windows were distant memories. What faced them appeared to be a passage leading to an endless night._

"_I don'__t like it here...let's get out of here..."___

"_We're close, Chaozu...whatever drew me here...it'__s close now."___

_That's what Chaozu was afraid of. Suddenly, as if my magic, torches, nailed to the walls lit up, lighting the long hallway. While the dark unnerved Chaozu, the sudden light terrified him. "__Let's get out of here Tenshinhan!"___

"_Not until I get to the bottom of this!"___

_Undaunted by the strange happenings, Tenshinhan pressed forward, with Chaozu loyally behind. It wasn't long until the duo came to another door, this one in a bit better shape than the one on the outside. Tenshinhan slowly opened the door and both of their jaws dropped to the floor at the sight that greeted them on the other side._

_It was a treasure room, filled from one side to the other with sparkling gold coins, jewels, chests overflowing with more gold and diamonds. _

"_Wow...I don't believe it..."__ Chaozu said, lost in awe._

"_Incredible...this stuff must've been left down here for years..."__ went Tenshinhan. "__With the scary castle above, I'd bet everyone else was too scared to explore the place."__ As Tenshinhan scanned the large room, something caught his attention. It was a relatively unassuming item, compared to the splendor of the treasure surrounding it. It looked kind of like a tiara, with a large green jewel in the center of it that looked sort of like an eye with what appeared to be golden horns protruding upwards from both sides._

"_I guess I was wrong about...this was an amazing find! I bet with this, we'd be richer than Bulma's family!"__ As he commented, he turned around just in time to see Tenshinhan put the jewel onto his head. Immediately, he was engulfed in a bright green light. A shrill wind flared up, knocking Chaozu to the back of the room, burying him in some of the treasure. _

_When the light and wind died, Tenshinhan had changed. He was in a green armor Chaozu imagined an ancient samurai would dress in. Shoulder guards draped down to his elbows, thigh guards down to the side of his knees, a chest plate with a fine red silk tie around his waist. The only things that appeared to be missing were armbands. And there was a hole in his chest plate that looked like it could hold another jewel. _

"_...It worked...I'm back..."___

"_T...Tenshinhan?"__ called Chaozu, cautiously._

_Slowly, the man turned to him, with an evil smirk on his face. "__The name's Xeon. And that's my treasure you're buried in."__ Terror filled Chaozu's eyes as the person he once knew as Tenshinhan slowly raised his hand in his direction, gathered his considerable ki, and fired..._

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"...the next thing I remember, I was here with you," Chaozu finished. Yamucha and Puar had set up camp for the day, to allow Chaozu to rest. All three were sitting around a campfire, with Chaozu drinking from a canteen of water.

"That's just awful," said Puar.

"So Tenshinhan has been possessed by this thing that calls himself Xeon?" asked Yamucha, mainly to himself. "If that was what he did to you, we can bet that he'll do worse to others. We have to find him."

"But we don't know where Tenshinhan went. He could be long gone by now," said Puar.

Just then, explosions erupted nearby. It was followed by faint, blood curdling screams. Yamucha and Chaozu especially took notice, recognizing the energy signature of the one responsible. "It's him! It's Tenshinhan! He's at that village!" went Chaozu.

Yamucha stood up. "Yamucha! What are you going to do?" With all that had previously transpired, Puar wasn't sure about Yamucha's current state of mind.

"What must be done. Don't worry, Chaozu. We will beat this Xeon guy and get Tenshinhan back. That's a promise."

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	3. Third Eye

Somewhere in the world, a lone figure sat in the dark, pondering his fate. He had success right there in the palm of his hands…and it was snatched away by that android woman and the Namek. It was still beyond him how she was able to resist his control.

In the end, it didn't matter. For Neo, it was the future that was the most important thing, not the past. As it stood, his future was very uncertain. He wanted nothing more than another shot at Goku. But thanks to his failure, instead of six obstacles in the way of Goku…counting Goku himself, he had ten. Above all else, he now had what was left of the Red Ribbon Army after him as well for his failure.

For the time being, he had set up shop in an installation that had been destroyed by Goku in his childhood…actually, now that he thought about it, that was a bit of a stretch. It was destroyed by another android that betrayed the Red Ribbon army, number 8. It must have been some sort of design flaw, Neo mused, for so many androids to have turned against their creators and the army. Neo shook his head. Once again, he had his mind set in the past, when it was his future he needed to concentrate on.

As he pondered his dilemma, he was hit with an epiphany. Perhaps the past held his salvation. He still had the DNA samples of Goku, Vegeta, Freeza and Piccolo at his disposal. He could create the perfect killing machine to destroy Goku…but that had been tried before, with no success. Besides, almost all of his enemies were too powerful for whatever creation he could cook up anyways.

Whatever he thought up of, the numbers were always against him. If only there was a way he could even the odds, even a little. Another mental light bulb lit as his newest scheme worked into being. He was tempted to believe that this scheme was perfect, but he believed his last plan to be perfect as well and of course its outcome was less than so. Still, it was a good plan. It could, likely, kill two birds with one stone, as it were.

He just needed to get a few more cell samples…

Dreamweaver Studios Presents

Dragonball Z:

Third Eye

Part two

On the bottom tip of the southern continent, far away from the hustle and bustle of everyday city life, was a rustic mountain village. This was, by some standards, a backwater village devoid of any of the modern conveniences. It was also, by some standards, a small village, with a population of only ten thousand residents. 

While one would scoff at such a place, it did offer one thing that large cities could never provide…a truly peaceful environment…usually. This, however, was not a usual time. As with any other day, the people of the small village were getting up and going to their respective places of employment or education, when suddenly it began to rain fire.

It was as if their village had committed some grave sins and the heavens themselves wrested upon them divine retribution. Frightened citizens, never touched by such shear terror before, panicked and ran wildly to and fro, trying desperately to shield themselves from the devastation. Lives and livelihoods that had taken years to develop were ruthlessly snatched away in an instant.

The old grandfather, along with his two grandsons, Athen and Duon took shelter in a hardware store, hoping beyond hope that their shop wouldn't be the next target. Slowly the assault subsided, leaving the survivors to take stock of the damage.

"Wha-what happened?" asked the terrified Athen.

"I…I don't know," said their grandfather. "I've never seen anything like this before…" With it apparently safe, the three horrified individuals crept out of their haven to get a better look at the destruction. 

"I guess this means there won't be any school today…" Duon said, shaking despite his bravado.

"It's just too horrible," said the old man. "How could this have happened?"

"What's that?" asked Athen, pointing upwards.

Slowly, a man dressed in green body armor with a green jewel in the center of his forehead, descended from the sky with a gloating, hateful smirk on his face. He touched down in the center square, one of the few places not touched by the devastation. Looking approvingly at the destruction and at the fear filled faces of the populous, he announced, "Your king has returned! You will once again tremble with fear at the name Xeon! All of you will suffer for your betrayal!"

"Xeon!?!?" went Athen. He looked up at his grandfather, "Like that guy in your story?"

"It's true," the old man said. "It's all true…"

Xeon raised his hand and fired another ki blast, destroying more buildings and once again sending the populous into a panic. His smirk enlarged into a sadistic grin seeing the devastation being caused at his hands. "Incredible! The power of this body is incredible! With this alone, I should be able to conquer this land again with no problem! But why should I settle for just this continent…with this power, the whole world would tremble at my feet!" He looked up, eyeing the old man and his grandchildren and fired another ki blast. "YES!!!" The old man grabbed his grandchildren and turned them around, shielding them with his body.

Out of nowhere, another man appeared and got in front of the three would be victims. 'Look at these people…' thought Xeon. 'So willing to sacrifice themselves for each other…it makes me sick.' The new man, however, did something Xeon never thought possible…he swatted his blast harmlessly away. "What--"

"XEON!!! This ends now!"

"Who are you to interfere with me?" went Xeon, indignant.

"My name's Yamucha. That body you've taken over belongs to my friend and there isn't room in there for the two of you. I'm going to make sure you leave!"

"I don't think so!" said Xeon. "This body is just overflowing with power…there's no way I'm going to give it up!"

"My friend, you have no idea what real power is."

Growing impatient with the belligerent nobody, Xeon powered up and fired a rapid succession of ki blasts, all of which Yamucha batted away with ease. Growing impatient, Xeon lost his royal composure and launched himself at Yamucha raining a barrage of kicks and punches on the fighter. To his dismay, Yamucha absorbed every last hit, totally unaffected. He took a step back, "What…what are you? How could you withstand such an onslaught?"

"It's like I said…you have no idea what real power is…but I can show you. Since you're in Tenshinhan's body, you should be able to feel ki as he does. Well, feel this…" Dropping his dampening field, Yamucha began powering up. He started out with twice Xeon's power and kept getting stronger. The force Yamucha was emitting was so great; Xeon nearly fell on his rear, unable to stand up to it.

Yamucha smiled. At his current level, he was four times as strong as Xeon. "And I'm not even at a quarter strength." Xeon's eyes widened in terror. He was astounded to find someone with the strength Tenshinhan possessed. He couldn't even fathom the thought of there being anyone stronger. Yamucha continued, "And if you open your senses, you would know that there are others that can generate far more than I can."

As the two warriors faced off, Puar and Chaozu took the three citizens and lead them off to safety. At first, Puar didn't notice, but all the while, Chaozu was trembling uncontrollably. Puar caught site of him and asked, "Chaozu? What's the matter?"

"I-I can't believe the amount of power Yamucha's able to generate now…"

"Yeah…he has gotten considerably stronger than the last time you saw him. But why are you shaking so much?"

"It's his power…it's…it's…"

"It's amazing, isn't it?" said Puar. "I don't have the ability to feel ki like you do, but Yamucha's ki has become so great that even I can--"

"No…his power…it's horrifying…more so than Tenshinhan's…"

"Huh?"

Xeon began backpedaling. Along with control of Tenshinhan's body, he also had access to Tenshinhan's knowledge. From that knowledge, he knew what Yamucha said was the truth. At his current level of power, he would be no match against any of the other warriors he spoke about. "Well…it would appear that I will be needing my other items after all…when I get them, we'll see if you'll still have your air of superiority!"

"You won't get the chance to get anything!" Faster than Xeon could blink, the distance between them disappeared and Yamucha grabbed the jewel covering Tenshinhan's third eye. Yamucha was caught totally unawares when a powerful jolt of energy erupted form the jewel, engulfing him and knocking him back.

Xeon smiled his cruel smile once again, "You won't defeat me that easily!" With that, he flew away.

Yamucha slowly got back onto his feet. So Xeon had some sort of defense mechanism in place, huh. He would be ready for it next time.

With Xeon making a tactical retreat, everyone in the village came out of hiding again. "Yamucha! Are you okay?" asked Puar, flying to his side.

"Yeah. He caught me by surprise with that last move," said Yamucha. He added darkly, "He won't next time…"

"Wow! You were awesome!!!" Duon said, running up to Yamucha.

"Yeah, you sure showed him!" added Athen, stride for stride with his brother.

"Indeed," went their grandfather. "Xeon of legend was the strongest man in the world. Until the great hero came, none in the land could stand up to his power. It would appear that he's even more powerful now than he was in the stories and you were able to drive him away effortlessly. I'm very impressed."

"Thank you. But Xeon has possessed my friend…and I wasn't able to get him back…I failed…"

The old man nodded. "If the legends are true…and apparently they are…not just anyone can free a person that has been possessed by Xeon…"

"You keep mentioning a legend," said Chaozu. "What legend is that?"

The old man went on to tell the three outsiders about the legend of Xeon, how a man named Kafye defeated him in the past and the promise Xeon made to return with the appearance of a man with a third eye.

"What was the significance of the person having the third eye?" asked Yamucha.

"I think that's how Xeon was able to keep control of his hosts. Xeon's last incarnation also had a third eye. The jewel is placed over that third eye and Xeon, somehow, exerts his will over the body that way," explained the old man.

"You also said that not just anyone could remove the jewel from whomever it's attached to," Puar chimed in. If that's true, who can?"

"According to the legend, Xeon's bound to his host's body by powerful magic. It will take powerful magic to remove the Jewel and free the host body from his influence."

"Great. So all we have to do is find ourselves a magician…that should be easy…" went Yamucha, sarcastically.

"Easier than you think," said the old man. "Kafye's family has always had very powerful sorcerers and sorceresses. If you go to the center of the continent, you'll find another village. It is said that the descendant of the hero Kafye dwells there. When you get there, ask for a woman named Kassex."

"Thank you sir," said Chaozu, bowing. "Come on guys, let's hurry!"                                                    

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About a half an hour later, Yamucha, Chaozu and Puar landed in the village that closest fit the description given to them by the old man. As they looked around to get their bearings, the village magistrate walked up to them.

"I haven't seen you three around before. Anything you need help with?"

"Yeah," answered Yamucha. "We're looking for someone named Kassex. Do you know where she lives?"

The magistrate looked at them oddly. "Kassex? What in the world would you want with her?"

"We just came from the southernmost village…it was destroyed by a man that calls himself Xeon. Someone from that village said that this woman, Kassex, might be the only chance we have to defeat Xeon."

"Xeon???" All those conversing turned to face yet another old man. He slowly made his way to them, his movements hindered by a severe limp, forcing him to walk with a cane. "I've heard the stories about Xeon. I figured them to be nothing but. But you say that he's here? Now?"

Yamucha nodded, "Yes sir."

"Guess that means all the stories were true." He turned to the magistrate, "If that's so, then they will be needing to see Kassex, or this will quickly become a very grave matter."

The magistrate looked at the old man for a moment, then turned his attention back at the three newcomers. "Very well. I will take you to her. If you will follow me."

**        **

In short order, Yamucha, Puar and Chaozu were brought to the doorstep of a small, one story house that looked like it was freshly abandoned. The paint on the walls was beginning to peel and the foliage surrounding the house were in the first stages of overgrowth. Loudly, the magistrate rapped against the front door and yelled in to its occupant, "Kassex! You have some people out here who would like to see you!"

"Just a moment!" came the reply from inside.

The magistrate turned back to the village's visitors and said, "I hope you realize what you're getting yourself into. I don't know anything about this Xeon character you're talking about, but Kassex is nothing but trouble. You'd better be careful dealing with her." With that, the magistrate, rather hastily, walked away.

Suddenly, a loud explosion erupted from the house. Instinctively, Yamucha and Chaozu adopted defensive postures, getting ready for anything, while Puar ducked behind them. The front door flew open, releasing a thick, black column of smoke and a woman stumbled out, slightly singed and coughing violently.

Finally taking notice of her visitors, the woman straightened herself up, brushed herself off and smiled at them. "Hi. I'm Kassex. You wanted to see me?"

The trio looked at her dumbfounded. "She is the only hope we have of defeating Xeon?" asked Puar forlornly.

"For some reason," said Yamucha, "I have this feeling that we're all extremely doomed…"

**        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **

**        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **


	4. Third Eye

"WHAT??? Xeon's back???"

"That's right," explained Chaozu. "He's possessed my friend, Tenshinhan. Someone from another village said you could help us beat Xeon. Can…err…"

With the…little accident that occurred just before Kassex met Yamucha, Puar and Chaozu, it was decided that they would talk about the current situation in her front yard. For some reason, though, as Chaozu was explaining everything that was going on, Kassex broke down into a kind of maniacal laughter. "I knew it!"

Chaozu blinked, "Wha--?"

"You want my help to free your friend from Xeon's control? You got it!" exclaimed Kassex. "I always knew that Xeon was real and that he would make another appearance…but I never thought that I would be the one to face him…I'll show all these jerks that like putting me down…We'll see who'll be laughing when I have to save their sorry butts from Xeon when he comes for them…I knew I was right…" She continued rambling on.

Yamucha stood up, "Listen, lady, I don't think you understand what you're getting in to. This isn't some kind of game. The body Xeon inhabits is very powerful, and he could destroy you in an instant."

Kassex looked at Yamucha sternly. "I know what we're going to be in for a lot better than you do. I know full well how powerful Xeon is…just as I know how powerful you are."

Yamucha was taken aback, "You do? You can feel a person's energy?"

"When you deal with powerful forces, as I do, you become attuned to the various forms of life energy. Now then, if we are to rescue your friend from Xeon, we better get moving as soon as possible. We don't have a lot of time."

"No doubt, Xeon's on the hunt for the other artifacts that make up his complete being. With them, he could easily become as powerful as you." She paused, taking note of her audience's facial reactions, especially Yamucha's. Clearly, they were disturbed by the information. "Plus, there's the issue of the bonding…"

"Bonding?" repeated Chaozu.

"If we don't separate Xeon's consciousness encased in that jewel, from your friend within a week, the possession becomes permanent…"

Dreamweaver Studios Presents

Dragonball Z: 

Third Eye

Part Three

Focus.

Punch. Punch.

Kick.

Focus.

Twice, Vegeta fought the Human, Yamucha. Twice, Vegeta nearly lost. Yamucha's path to power wasn't that of a true warrior. He didn't earn it…it was given to him. Against his will, true, but it still didn't change the fact that he didn't work for his strength. It was clear, though, that he had no qualms about using that strength to his advantage.

Focus.

Kick.

Flip.

The upgrade in his power, usually, would have meant nothing to Vegeta normally, even if Yamucha actually had defeated him. However…Yamucha almost killed him. If it weren't for Kuririn, he would have been dead right now. Vegeta stopped at that thought. "Damn it all…that means I owe him my life…*Che*…"

Yamucha's return to power brought up many emotions that had been long past. He saw a lot more of what happened between Bulma and Yamucha that last time than either of them knew. It was painfully obvious that Bulma still had deep feelings for him. Bulma was his and his alone and Vegeta would be damned if it wouldn't stay that way.

Never before had Vegeta felt so threatened. The life he had now was not the life he envisioned for himself, but he was more content now than at any other time before. The simple pleasures of marriage and fatherhood were better than any of his past conquests or victories and he seriously doubted the life of a royal would be as nice either.  There was no way he would allow anyone to take that away from him. 

That's why Vegeta was now training harder than at any time before in his life…harder than he would even to face off against Kakarotto…for the next time he and Yamucha faced off, Vegeta was going to make sure the outcome would be different. And even though, that night, it appeared that Yamucha had walked out of their lives forever, somehow, Vegeta knew that their paths would cross again.

Focus...

**        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **

Soaring through the sky in an air car, the small group of four raced against time to try to save Tenshinhan and quite possibly the world from King Xeon. The conversation going on between them was quite lively, as Kassex was bombarding Yamucha, Chaozu and Puar with all sorts of questions, especially when she recognized Yamucha from the old footage of the Cell games.

Even though he was, at one point, the topic of conversation, Yamucha remained silent for most of the trip. He took note of their driver carefully. She seemed very confident in her abilities. And it was very clear with the countless questions that she was very inquisitive. From the first impression of her personality, to her not quite shoulder length, deep blue hair and her short, sleeveless dress that matched her hair color, she reminded him very much of...

...of Bulma.

Yamucha gazed out of the window. For some reason he couldn't fathom, he still couldn't get that woman out of his head. He did notice something though...before, when he thought about Bulma, all that they had been through and whom she ended up with, Yamucha would always get sad. Those thoughts were usually accompanied by a shot of alcohol of some type, if he was able, to dull the pain. Lately, though…especially after the revelation handed him thanks to Puar, the sadness wasn't there anymore…it had become something else…If Yamucha had to put that new feeling to words it would have to have been…

Loathing.

"So what are these other artifacts you were telling us about before?" asked Chaozu. The introduction of an important subject snapped Yamucha out of his revere.

"These other artifacts were the main source of his power back when he first ruled my homeland," started Kassex. "There were two manacles that supplied him with almost unmatchable strength. And there was a jewel that went into the center of his chest plate. With that jewel, he could open a portal to the underworld and gather an army of demons to do his bidding. If he got all of these items in his possession again, he would become nearly unstoppable. I know you and your friends are incredibly strong," she continued, her attention towards Yamucha. "But I seriously doubt even all of you would be able to stand up to those odds. That's why it's imperative that we stop Xeon as soon as possible."

"If any of those items were in the castle, where we found the crown," said Chaozu, "He would have had them already when you faced him that first time."

"Good point," said Yamucha, uttering his first words since they started on their trip. "I'm guessing when Xeon was defeated the first time, no one took any chances and flung those other things to the far corners of the Earth. Am I right?"

Kassex nodded, "My great ancestor, Kafye ended up dying from the severe injuries he incurred while battling with Xeon. But before he did, he used the last of his magic to scatter those items far away from each other, just as you said."

"Good. That gives us an edge," said Yamucha. "Since he doesn't know where those other items are, he'll have to take time to search for them. Since we'll know where he is at any given time by his energy signature, we should be able to beat him to the punch."

"Unfortunately, it's not that easy. All of the items, somehow, are connected. The items are like compasses. When they're separated, one item...for the lack of a better term, points towards the others. Xeon may not know the exact location of the items, but he does have a general idea of where they are and it won't take him long to find them."

"Great...nothing can ever be simple, can it?" lamented Yamucha.

"We still have an advantage, Yamucha," Puar reminded him. "He has no idea we now have someone on our side that can undo his possession."

Yamucha nodded. "I just hope that'll be enough."

**        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **

Xeon took a good look at his surroundings. It would appear that one of his items...likely the one that opened the portals to the demon world was being kept in an ancient pirate cove. If this were like the typical lost pirate cove, then there would be a room where the pirates' treasure would have been kept. It was likely, then, that the jewel in question would have been lost among a horde of other jewels, much like the crown.

The cove was very dark, with spider webs covering everything. Xeon created a small energy ball to create some light. It didn't do much to help him. There were corridors everywhere shrouded in shadows, the perfect place for all sorts of unpleasant creatures to hide. 

As suspected, a large, carnivorous dinosaur pounced out of one of the shadows, intending to make him its next meal. With a look of distain, Xeon backhanded the dinosaur, knocking the poor unsuspecting predator unconscious, proving again...

Xeon wasn't one to experience fear. He was one to cause it. 

But that wouldn't happen as long as all of those other fighters were out there. Hopefully, with his other items back in his possession, he would be able to, at least, match them in terms of raw power. The body he had now wielded incredible power as it was. With the added boost his manacles would provide, he would have no problem facing those other fighters, especially the one that faced him in Celeron.

'One step at a time,' he thought. He still had to find those other items. He walked down a dark hall and came upon an old, wooden door that appeared to have been forced open. Peering inside, he found a large room with old treasure chests inside. It looked as though this was a treasure room, not unlike the one the crown was found in; only this one was picked clean a long time ago.

'The room appears empty,' went Xeon to himself. 'But I can still feel the gem...it's close..." Slowly, he walked to the back of the room to where an overturned chest was located. He moved the chest out of the way and found the gem he sought...at the bottom of a shallow hole in the floor. He tried to reach in and retrieve the jewel, but found that his hands were too large for the little hole. So he stood up and focused his energy into a narrow beam and carefully cut around the opening, making the hole larger.

"Heh...one step closer to my return to power," he said aloud as he retrieved his jewel and placed it on his chest plate. He had his army at his disposal again. Now, all he needed was his strength. He maneuvered his way back out of the cove without incident and allowed his senses to extend. It wasn't long until he got the general position of his remaining lost item. He let a smile creep across his face. It was just too easy.

His smile suddenly dropped as he felt something else close in on him fast...it was something he had felt before. He turned again and saw, just above the entrance of the cove was an air car. Being from ancient times, he had absolutely no idea what the contraption was, but somehow...he attributed it to Tenshinhan's abilities, he was able to sense that there were people riding in it...two who were with that guy that stopped him in Celeron, and one other.

Taking no chances, Xeon gathered his ki and fired at the air car, destroying it. Xeon's fears were realized, however, when the people in the air car actually flew down to the ground unaided...one of those people being Yamucha, whom he hadn't felt. The little white thing Tenshinhan knew as Chaozu carefully placed a woman down to the ground before landing himself. Xeon didn't know why, but there was something strangely familiar about this girl...

"You again!" went Xeon.

"That's right," said Yamucha. "You won't be getting away this time! I brought along someone who can remove crown!"

"What?"

Kassex stepped forward. "That's right! You don't know me, Xeon, but I think you know of my ancestor...his name was Kafye..."

Xeon's eyes went wide, "You're Kafye's descendant?" The girl nodded cheerfully. 'Damn...I didn't think Kafye had any living descendants...this was getting bad...if I don't find my manacles fast, these people may well stop my march for conquest before it could even get started.' Xeon did an about-face to fly away, but before he could even blink, Yamucha was behind him. 

"Like I said, you won't be getting away this time," said Yamucha. "Do it now!"

Kassex brought her hands together and went into a trance, closing her eyes and chanting in a low voice. The wind picked up and began swirling around her, and she began glowing a bright blue. She opened her eyes, which were glowing blue as well and shouted, "BY THE POWER OF THE EARTH, THE WATER AND AIR, REMOVE THIS CROWN! MAKE THIS MAN'S SOUL BARE!!"

She darted her hands forward and the bright blue light shot from them, enveloping Xeon. The light got so intense, that everyone surrounding them had to avert their eyes. When the light faded and the wind died down, everyone looked up, expecting to find their friend had returned to them and the crown that held the consciousness of Xeon on the ground. Instead...

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME!!!???" Xeon looked down and found himself completely naked. The spell had indeed left him bare, just not in the way intended.

Kassex blushed, "Oops..."

Xeon trembled with rage...though it could have been a draft... "You will pay for this humiliation!" But as long as Yamucha was there to protect her, he wouldn't be able to do anything until he had his manacles. He had to get away. The question was how. 

The bright flash gave him an idea. He searched through Tenshinhan's memory and found the perfect technique to assist in his escape. Considering his current state of dress, it would be rather embarrassing, but if it meant having his revenge later, he could...for the lack of a better phrase, bare it. He leaned over slightly, brought his hands to his face and shouted "SOLAR FLARE!"

With Xeon using his energy to simulate the intense light of the sun, everyone surrounding him had to, once again, avert their eyes. By the time the light faded and their eyesight returned, Xeon was gone. 

"Well...that could've gone better," said Puar, sarcastically.

Yamucha opened his senses up in an attempt to track Xeon, to no avail. "Damn it...I can't sense him anywhere!" He turned to Kassex, "What kind of magician are you?"

She looked at him meekly... "An inexperienced one?" Everyone facefaulted. "Listen everyone...I'm sorry about that. I really messed up that time. But I know I can do this. I've been training myself for this moment for a long time. I just got a little nervous, that's all."

"But who knows if you'll be able to get your chance again," Yamucha said somberly. "He's masking his energy signature from me. I can't locate him anywhere."

"Well, since that is true," started Chaozu, "that must mean he isn't flying because that puts out a lot of energy. And this is an island. So he'll have to start flying sometime."

Yamucha nodded. "Right. So when he starts flying again, we'll have him. We only have one more opportunity to stop him before he's back at full power. We can't lose this opportunity." He looked at Kassex, "Which means no more screwing up. Okay?"

She saluted him, "You can count on me!"

Chaozu looked up into the darkening skies and said to no one in particular, "Don't you worry Tenshinhan...we'll get you back...no matter what it takes…"

**        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **

**        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **


	5. Third Eye

Stationed high in the mountainous area of the northern region, was an old outpost of the Red Ribbon Army. At one time, it was known as Muscle Tower...but that was before it's little run in with a certain monkey man and a treacherous android. What it was now was a shack; not even a shadow of what it once was.

What went on inside, however, hadn't changed that much. Through the blinding snow that pummeled the region constantly throughout the year, small, robotic insects gathered at the little shack, working, much as they did seven years ago, to collect cellular samples. This time, however, they didn't have the specific targets they had then.

For this particular plan, Neo released the bugs on the general population of the Earth. He also made sure that he got current samples from the Saiyans. He wasn't sure if they would be looking out for his little collectors, so he made them go back to the old lab where he had his last encounter with them. As for the other people...he had to be sure he had a large diversity of DNA. If this plan was to work, he had to be sure to...

"Wait a moment..." Neo said to no one in particular. "What is this???"

He studied the cellular sample in front of him carefully. It didn't seem that old...maybe a few months...but the cellular properties were astounding. It seemed like a Saiyan cell, but it was different...and it appeared to have been able to generate a lot more power than any of the other Saiyan samples he had in his possession, including the current one he acquired from Goku himself.

"It looks as though I've hit the jackpot!" Neo mused. "If I can create a body based on this sample, that in itself should be able to guarantee me a victory over Son Goku...heh...couple this with my other plan and the whole damned lot of them are already as good as dead."

Dreamweaver Studios Presents

Dragonball Z:

Third Eye

Part Four

"Say..."

Chaozu looked up at the young woman as she addressed him, "Yes?"

"I...you know...just wanted to thank you."

"Thank me? For what?"

"You saved my life...when Xeon blew up the air car..."

"Oh, I see. You're welcome."

"And..."  
"Hmm?"

"And...I'm sorry I messed up so badly. I should have been able to free your friend from Xeon's control, but...I don't know what happened..."

Chaozu favored Kassex with a slight smile, "Don't be too hard on yourself. We're human. We all make mistakes."

"Well, don't you worry," Kassex said. "I won't make that mistake again. I'll get him next time. Don't you worry."

"Well, I for one am glad to hear that," said Yamucha, with his back turned to the two. "If what you said about the demon summoning and his able to get as strong as I am are true, we won't have room for mistakes from here on."

"Ah...I know..."

"You sense anything yet, Yamucha?" asked Puar.

"No, nothing yet. This is going to be close to impossible now that our element of surprise is gone..."

**        **

How was it? How was it that that fool was able to find him so quickly? Xeon sat on the ground in the lotus fashion, eyes closed, pondering his dilemma. There was no way he could've been able to...that was when he remembered what Yamucha said the first time they met... "...Since you're in Tenshinhan's body, you should be able to feel ki as he does..." 

That had to have been it...if he possessed the ability to feel a person's energy as well, then of course he could track him. But...damn...That would mean he would have to move quickly now. He was too close to success to be stopped now.

Suddenly, his eyes popped open. He had a fix on where his manacles were. It was as he feared. It was far away from his current location. He would have to fly. That meant Yamuhca and Kafye's descendant would be able to track him. He had to find some way to deal with them while he acquired his manacles. He also needed to find some clothes, curse that girl.

'It can't be helped...' he thought to himself. Finally, resolved in his decision, he stood up, his energy coming to life around him, and took off into the midday sky.

**        **

Yamucha blinked suddenly. "Chaozu, did you feel that?"

"Yeah, I did..."

"What?" asked Kassex. "What is it?"

"Tenshinhan's energy just spiked," explained Chaozu. "He's on the move again."

"C'mon! If we hurry, we might be able to catch him before he gets wherever he's going!" exclaimed Yamucha. He took Puar in hand and shot into the air. Chaozu immediately followed suit.

"Um...excuse me..." went Kassex.

"What is it?" asked Chaozu.

"I don't know how to fly. Could one of you carry me please?"

"You've got to be kidding me," went Yamucha. "You're a mage and you don't know how to fly? Don't you have a broom or magic carpet or SOMETHING???"

Kassex crossed her arms in a huff. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't make those kinds of comments. I am NOT a witch, or anything like that."

"Hmm...I suppose you're right about that. I could take you to a real witch if you'd like..." Yamucha quipped, thinking of Bulma again. 

Puar looked at him, as if reading his mind. "..."

"Here, I'll carry you," Chaozu said. He floated down until he was eye to eye with Kassex. He then turned around, allowing her to wrap her arms around his petite shoulders. Slowly, he began ascending, making sure she had a firm grip on him. "Hang on!" With that one warning, he flared his ki and rocketed into the stratosphere.

Kassex yelped in terror, not expecting the incredible speed that he flew. Her terror was soon placated and replaced with sheer excitement. "Wow! This is incredible!!! I should've learned how to fly long ago!!!" 

She tightened her grip, pressing herself more into his small frame. Chaozu tilted his head to the side and caught a glimpse of her out of the corner of his eyes, drinking in her features. The vibrant smile, the excitement shining in her eyes and the high winds whipping around her hair overwhelmed the small warrior with feelings he hadn't felt for another in a long time. This caused his usually ghost white face to turn a bright shade of red. 

**        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **        **

In downtown Satan City, the students from a particular class from Orange Star High School were currently on a fieldtrip to Orange Grove Museum of History. The group, however, was missing two notable students...namely Gohan and Videl, who had received an emergency call earlier and were forced to leave.

"Alright everyone," went the teacher, "this is the last leg on our outing. We will be here until one-thirty. After which, we will go to the restaurant we agreed upon before we will get back to school. Everyone got that?" All of the students voiced their agreement with the teacher's itinerary. "Very good. Let's go."

In the back of the line was the lone dissenter of the group. "This trip has just been a major waste of time," complained Sharpener. 

"Aw, c'mon," replied Ireza. "It's a good excuse to get out of class."

"Going to a stupid museum? Please. If we're going to go someplace, it could at least be someplace interesting."

Just behind the main building, Xeon, whom had acquired a new and more normal set of clothes, watched with interest as the teens entered the building. It would appear that his manacles were in that building. Not only that, but two of the other impossibly high power readings weren't far away from him now. Not to mention that the nuisances that had been chasing him since Celeron were hot on his trail.

He didn't know how much time he had before they found him again, so he had to act quickly. The problem was, he didn't know exactly where in the building his manacles were and there was a good chance that the others would catch him before he found his remaining items. He would have to summon one of his past demon warriors to keep a look out for him. Only one at this time; he wouldn't have been able to keep control of any others without his manacles.

He focused his energies onto the gem lodged in his chest until it began to glow a bright green. Just in front of him, a green light appeared and began to take shape. When the green glow died, Xeon immediately collapsed from the exhaustive effort. Looking up, he smiled at the fearsome beast that had appeared in front of him. He was at least seven and a half feet tall with blue skin, white hair that fell to his massive shoulders. He wore what one would think was a deep, blood red jumpsuit with a white stripe on either side that went from his armpit down his leg where it disappeared into his white boots. The top of his outfit was sleeveless, leaving his extraordinarily well-built arms bare.

"Where am I?" the demon demanded. "Who are you?"

Xeon's smile disappeared and a frown took its place. "I was expecting the strongest of the demon world."

The demon raised an eyebrow, "I AM the strongest."

"You must be kidding. Where's Dabura?"

"Feh. That idiot was brainwashed by some stupid wizard. From what I heard, he was unable to defeat a mere mortal, and in the end, he was defeated by the wizard's creation."

"Hmm...I guess I could understand that...I've met up with someone who is incredibly powerful..." Xeon thought to himself. "That could've very well happened..."

"You still haven't answered my question," said the demon. "Who are you?"

"I am Xeon, once and future king of the known world. I have summoned you here to assist me in my quest to retake my rightful position."

"I am G'nola, and if you think I'm going to follow the orders of a MORTAL..." he slowly advanced on Xeon, "you are sorely mistaken."

Xeon narrowed his eyes, "I don't think so." Once again, he focused his energy onto the gem in his chest and it began glowing. Another green light appeared around G'nola and it caused the great beast to scream in agony. "You may be more powerful than I am at the moment, but I could kill you at any time. You will follow my instructions, or else, I will send you back to the demon world...one piece at a time. Do you understand?" He intensified the pain, forcing the mammoth creature down to one knee.

G'nola bared his sharp teeth and managed to snarl, "I understand..."

Xeon allowed the green light to die. "Excellent." He turned back towards the entrance of the museum, "Now then...there is an item inside that I must have in order to begin my conquest..."

"So what? You summoned me to get it for you??"

"Would you shut up and listen! I am going to go in and take the item myself. However, there is someone on the way...someone incredibly powerful that intends to stop me. I want you to keep him out of my way until I can get what I came for."

G'nola looked away from Xeon, "Che...forced to take orders from a mortal...how degrading. That's supposed to be for lesser demons, not one of my stature..."

"Think of it this way," Xeon said, "You could well be facing the mortal that the mighty king of demons couldn't defeat. If you manage to defeat the one Dabura couldn't, think what that could do for your stature..." With that, Xeon made his way into the museum.

The large demon stood where he was, still looking in the spot Xeon once inhabited. With the man gone, G'nola was free to do whatever he wished. However, he did have a point. If he could defeat the ones the great Dabura couldn't, then his stature among the others in the demon world would skyrocket...it could even lead to him becoming the new king of the demons. 

"Hmm...I suppose I could do as he says for now, since he has presented me with this golden opportunity..." He turned his head towards the museum, "But just you wait, mortal...you'll get yours soon enough..."

**        **

"Hey! He's not moving anymore!" said Chaozu as he, Yamucha, Kassex and Puar entered Satan City's city limits. "I can also feel that he's close to something very powerful."

"That must mean he found his power bands," Kassex said. "This is our last chance to stop him. We can't mess up this time."

Yamucha glared at her, "'We'??"

"Fine! I can't mess up this time...geez..."

Yamucha looked back at the buildings as they rapidly whizzed by and sighed, "Those things would be in the middle of a city. I won't be able to fight him all out this time."

"Hopefully, we'll be able to catch him before he gets his power bands," Puar said, ever optimistic. "That way, you can hold back and still be able to beat him."

"And we may just get that chance. Look!" Careful not to drop Kassex, Chaozu pointed to the small garden in front of the downtown museum. There, they spotted a person looking in the entryway of the museum with an abnormally high power reading.

Yamucha tilted his head to the side, "That's not Xeon, is it?"

"It's hard to say," went Chaozu. "His energy reading has changed so much since he put that crown on..."

"Well, let's just touch down and see…" The small band descended and landed on the grounds adjacent to the museum. Hoping Xeon still hadn't fully developed his senses, they tried to sneak behind him to take him by surprise. However, once the powerful being turned around, they knew the little hope they had, was dashed. "You're not Xeon..."

"Nope...the name's G'nola. But I take it, you are the ones Xeon told me to keep out of that museum."

"The museum!" repeated Kassex. "That must be where the manacles are! Let's go!"

"Maybe you didn't hear me," rumbled G'nola. "I have been charged with keeping you OUT of there..." The monster began to power up. His energy was so tremendous, the ground began to shake and small bits of debris began to rise. He continued, "...and that's what I intend to do!"

"Yamucha..." went Chaozu, "…his power..."  
Yamucha nodded, "This guy just might be a problem..."

**        **

The pending struggle didn't go unnoticed within the museum. Since earthquakes weren't uncommon in this area of the world, the caretakers of the museum made sure that all of the exhibits showcased within were secure so that they could get through without much damage. The patrons, however, weren't as fortunate as they were strewn all over by the force of the tremors.

Falling backwards, Ireza bumped into a certain bald headed figure with what looked to be a tiara attached to his forehead. Stopping to favor her with a sneer, he shoved her forward into Sharpener. 

"Hey!" shouted Ireza. "What did you do that for?"

Xeon gave her a 'humph' and walked away.

"Hey!" This time, it was Sharpener. "Don't you know you're supposed to be nice to girls?"

Xeon looked back at them, "I WAS being nice."

"Oh really? It looks like I'm going to have to teach you some manners!" Sharpener reared back and threw the hardest punch he could, connecting squarely on Xeon's chin. Xeon didn't even flinch, while Sharpener drew his hand back in excruciating pain.

"Feh...I have no time for the likes of you," Xeon said, scowling. "Now leave me alone before you make me angry." True, time was of the essence. Xeon knew the rumbling meant that a battle had begun outside...which meant the Human, Yamucha, had arrived. He had to get his manacles before he could be stopped.

"Sharpener! Are you all right?" Ireza asked.

Sharpener hissed, trying to shake the pain out of his hand, "I'm going to get that guy..."

Finding his way to the center of the center of the museum, Xeon finally found the objects of this desire...The manacles that Kafye used to store his considerable power. Paying no heed to the thunderous explosion that rocked the building, he went to the display and smashed the glass case that encapsulated them.

Sharpener rounded the corner, with Ireza right behind him, and caught sight of Xeon just as he put his power bands on. As soon has he had both secured on his arms, his eyes lit up...as did the rest of him. The great power the manacles possessed began to interact with the already great power within Tenshinhan's body. The feeling was overwhelming for Xeon, as he let out a shrill cry.

Sharpener and Ireza had to shield their eyes from the tremendous light that the man before them was emitting. "W...what's going on!?" went Ireza.

"I don't know!" answered Sharpener. "I remember Gohan did something like that during the martial arts tournament! We'd better get back!"

**        **

The battle didn't seem to be getting anywhere. Yamucha and G'nola matched each other blow for blow with neither getting the upper hand. Yamucha had never faced anyone form the demon realm and wasn't sure how to read their power levels accurately. It would appear that Yamucha was slightly stronger than the beast, but Yamucha wasn't sure if he had the ability to tap into any power he couldn't detect...the way Majin Buu did when he was threatening everyone. So he decided to be cautious, feeling out his opponent before he attempted to show exactly how powerful he was.

G'nola, for his part, was rather frustrated that he wasn't making any headway against the Human. True, he was nowhere near his maximum either, but at his current level of strength, he should've been able to ground the pest into dust. He thought the rumors of Dabura fighting against incredibly powerful opponents and not getting a decisive victory over him was just a ploy by those sympathetic to his memory to make him not look like the weakling G'nola thought him to be. 

Now that he had faced one for himself, G'nola was forced to ask a question Dabura himself asked, "How in the world could a mortal get so powerful???"

Yamucha, for his part, was quickly growing impatient. The longer this battle kept going, the greater the chance was that Xeon would get the manacles. He didn't want to do this...he wanted to face Xeon himself because he knew it would be difficult for Chaozu to ever strike Tenshinhan, even if he wasn't the one in control of the body anymore. But things were getting critical and time was of the essence.

"Chaozu!"

Chaozu floated up to him, "Yes?"

"This guy's tough. It's not going to be easy to beat him and while I'm out here fighting, Xeon's free to grab those manacle things. That can't happen! You're going to have to go in there and stop him."

"Me?"

"I know it's going to be strange fighting against what appears to be Tenshinhan, but just remember, it's not him! I'm counting on you. Tenshinhan's counting on you. You have to go in the museum and stop Xeon."

Chaozu didn't relish the thought of having to fight against his long time friend, but Yamucha was right. He knew if he ever wanted to see the old Tenshinhan again, he would have to fight. There was no other way. "You can count on me," Chaozu said, nodding determinedly. 

As he turned to advance towards the entrance of the museum, it exploded and a human form rocketed forth from the blast, bouncing to rest not far from the group of warriors. Ireza emerged from the resulting exodus of frightened patrons and knelt down at the fallen Sharpener's side.

"Sharpener! Are you all right?" she asked.

Starry eyed and slightly singed, Sharpener answered, "I'll let you know after my little nap..." and promptly passed out.

Xeon emerged next from the smoke that poured out of the museum entry way, floating a meter off of the ground and glowing intensely, smiling smugly at the downed human. Craning his head slightly to the right, he spotted his main adversary paused in mid stride, as was the demon summoned to halt him. 

"Ah...so you are here," said Xeon, still smiling that smug smile of his. "Good, good. What do you say you and I have a rematch, hmm?"

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	6. Third Eye

As was the norm for Master Roshi's island, the day was bright and sunny. Kuririn was on the beach practicing harder than he had ever before. His new power excited him to no end and he wanted to make sure that he was razor sharp if he was ever needed in battle again. It had been so long since he was anywhere near Goku's level and he was about to make sure that he wouldn't slack off and get left so far behind again.

#18 reclined on a lawn chair under the shade of the island's lone coconut tree watching her husband's exercise regime. Watching her husband in motion as he was, with the sun reflecting off of his sweat soaked skin and his rippling muscles, she was getting rather worked up. Though with her ever-present stoic expression, no one on the outside would ever tell. Just at her feet, their daughter, Marron was building sand castles.

Moving to #18's left was the owner of the house and island, Master Roshi. It is well known that Roshi is a bit on the perverted side and that he and #18 don't get along, since, moving to the island, she had become the main target of his lecherous side. That had taken somewhat of a back seat lately. They had shared concern over Kuririn since their last ordeal. Kuririn had always been a devoted husband and father, but since he had gained his newfound power, it had appeared that he had become overanxious to use it, ready to run off at the first sign of trouble and prove himself once again as a warrior. Roshi had seen more than once what that did to Goku's family, with Gohan and Goten having to live for so long without their father, and he really didn't want to see Kuririn end up doing the same thing.

"I remember a time...when he and Goku first stepped at my door asking for me to be their trainer, that it would be a chore to get Kuririn to train a fraction of what he's doing now," Roshi stated. "In all my years of watching him grow as a fighter and person, I have never seen him train this hard before."

"Nor for with such frequency, I'd bet," added #18. "When he's not eating or sleeping, he's training. I swear, he's getting too much like Son Goku for my tastes."

"It's in Goku's blood. As a Saiyan, he loves to fight. The stronger the opponent was, the better. But Goku's heart has always been in the right place. He also fights for the defense of those he loves."

#18 looked at him, "So what's your point?"

"My point is, you're only half right comparing Kuririn to Goku. I'd like to believe that I could read my students well. I believe Kuririn is still upset over that Majin Buu, thing, where he tried to protect you and Marron with his life and he wasn't able to. That has to eat away at a man." 

Roshi paused for a moment. He glanced at #18 and he could see a slight difference in the way she was looking at Kuririn. There was a hint of sadness in her features. Roshi continued, "I also think Kuririn is also trying to make it so that he's just as good...just as strong as Goku. For what reason, I'm not sure of, but I'm sure you can guess who that is like."

#18 nodded, "Vegeta. Humph...another of my favorite people."

"I think we can agree that Kuririn needs to be reminded of what's truly important."

"The question is; how do we do that?" Right then, both stopped as they noticed Kuririn's attention had turned skyward. A small speck could be seen traversing through the clouds. It got bigger and bigger, until it took the form of four people. The largest figure was Yamucha, carrying two others; a woman that no one knew and a very bloodied and battered Chaozu. Hanging on to Yamucha's neck, was his friend Puar.

Yamucha, not looking too great himself, landed on the beach and set the woman down to her feet. Kuririn rushed over to his friend's side and Yamucha handed Chaozu's prone form to the smaller man.

"Yamucha..." Kuririn started, "What happened?"

"I need your help," he said.

Dreamweaver Studios Presents

Dragonball Z

Third Eye

Part Five

Kuririn made his way out to the living room, surveying their houseguests. Yamucha was sprawled out on the sofa with a tired look on his face. Puar rested on his chest, slowly rising and falling in time with his breathing. The strange girl that was with them was pacing back and forth until she noticed that he had walked into the room with them.

"How is he?" she asked, her voice clearly filled with concern.

"He'll be sore in the morning, but he'll be fine," answered Kuririn. She gave an audible sigh of relief and Kuririn's confusion grew. He sat down next to Yamucha, who moved slightly to accommodate him. "Hey man...what happened to you guys? What's going on?"

"I'll tell you...I just hope you're up for a long story..."

**        **        **        **        **        **  Flashback   **        **        **        **        **        **

Xeon paid another passing glance to his fallen, would be adversary then looked back at Yamucha. Xeon's power had increased exponentially and the reason why was evident by the new accessories on both of his wrists. They were too late.

"I can't believe the power coursing through me..." went Xeon. "It's incredible. I can't wait to try it out." He narrowed his eyes, daring Yamucha to attack.

Yamucha bared his teeth. Everything up until now had been for naught. And it was just as he feared; Xeon's new power was incredible. The question did remain though...exactly how powerful was he now? It would appear that he wouldn't have to wait long to find out. 

As Xeon inched closer and Yamucha readied himself for the pending attack, a bright light emanated, distracting both fighters. In the midst of the light was Kassex silently chanting her mantra, hoping to get the drop on Xeon. Seeing that she had been discovered, she immediately fired her attack.

Deftly, Xeon avoided the attack and prepared one of his own. Before he could fire it off, Yamucha tackled him. As Xeon wrestled with Yamucha, he called to G'nola, "Don't just stand there! GET HER!!!"

G'nola, for his part, was watching in fascination. He also wondered exactly how strong Xeon had become. He needed to be certain that when the time came for the two of them to have their reckoning, he wouldn't be the one that ended up dead. He decided that, for now, it would be wise if he continued to bide his time. Compliantly, he started after Kassex. 

Kassex readied herself for the inevitable attack, but before the demon got there, Chaozu appeared in front of her and attacked the beast with a rather powerful ki blast that exploded on contact. Kassex turned her gaze to him and with an almost crooked grin, he said, "Don't worry. I won't let him hurt you."

"Chaozu," was all she could manage.

Through the heavy smoke, the dark silhouette of the demon appeared still marching towards them. Seeing his quarry still coming, Chaozu began rapidly firing off ki blasts to impede his advance. Unfortunately, it was to no avail.

It was as if it played out in slow motion in front of Kassex' eyes. The imposing demon, nearly three times their height roared through the remaining smoke and through Chaozu's attacks and with his mammoth hands struck him in the face. The force of the blow launched Chaozu into the air and he sailed a good ten meters before landing back to the ground with a sickening thud. 

Screaming his name, Kassex ran to his side and cradled his head. Looking up, she could see the monster slowly stalking towards them with a maniacal grin on his face. Instinctively, she covered up as much of Chaozu as she could, to shield him from whatever he had in mind. She knew, though, it wouldn't be enough against whatever he would do to them.

Yamucha chanced a glance at his friends and recognized the predicament they were in. "No, Chaozu!!!" That split second distraction was all Xeon needed. He struck Yamucha in the gut with a knee and followed up with a punch to Yamucha's face that had the scarred man reeling. The mere fact that Xeon was able to hurt him was proof enough that his power was one to be reckoned with.

With the immediate danger Chaozu and Kassex were in, there was only one option left to Yamucha. He allowed his ki to swell and explode outward. It wouldn't have been enough to kill Xeon or the demon, but it served its purpose of buying him enough time to scoop up his comrades and fly them to safety. The blast was powerful enough however, to level the nearby museum. Fortunately, it was merely collateral damage, as all of the patrons inside had long ago evacuated from Xeon's appearance.

When the blast had fully subsided, Xeon found he and the demon alone on the battlefield. Thanks to Yamucha's ability to mask his ki, Xeon couldn't tell where he went, but it didn't matter. For the first time in their many encounters, Xeon managed to fight him off. His grin grew broadly over his borrowed face reveling in his victory. 

"Damn..." went G'nola. "They got away."

"It doesn't matter," said Xeon. "There will be another time. But now that I'm whole again, it's time to start rebuilding my empire!"

**        **        **        **        **          End Flashback            **        **        **        **        **

Kuririn, after hearing the story from the beginning, trembled with rage. "I can't believe this guy's going around in Tenshinhan's body doing these things..."

"I think I can beat him, fighting one on one," said Yamucha. "But with that demon with him, I can't do it alone." 

Kuririn gave his friend a smile and nodded. "Say no more, ole buddy. I'll be right there with you next go round."

Yamucha smiled back, "Just what I wanted to hear."

"Unfortunately, it's not going to be that easy," Kassex said out of the blue.

"Why's that?" asked Yamucha.

"Back when my ancestor fought him, Xeon had three, very powerful demon generals fighting at his side. That's not even mentioning the armies they commanded." Yamucha and Kuririn's faces dropped. "I doubt that, even with his new powers, Xeon would be able to conjure a gate that would allow his army of demons to cross back over to this realm, but I'm certain that he will call his generals over the first chance he gets."

"Was that one of the generals we fought with earlier?" Yamucha asked.

"No. I guess you could say these were demon royalty, the strongest of their kind. One's called O'ro, a cunning, four armed creature; Grahm, a relatively small, but super fast imp-like being; and the king of demons, Dabura..."

"Dabura?" interrupted Kuririn.

"Yes," went Kassex. "You sound as if you recognize the name."

"I do. He appeared on Earth some time ago. He helped to release Majin Buu." Kassex recoiled at the mere mention of his name. She knew all too well the horrors wrought upon the Earth at the hands of Majin Buu. "Dabura's dead, though. He was one of Majin Buu's first victims."

Kassex thought for a moment. "In that case, a replacement would've been needed to fill Dabura's place. It could be that the one we faced was that replacement."

Yamucha crossed his arms, "That would still make it four against two. The odds need to be evened just a little more..." He and Kuririn turned to look at #18.

She glared at Kuririn. "In case you've forgotten, we have a daughter to take care of. I know you're just itching to run off and do battle with this guy. Not me. If someone comes here looking for trouble, that's one thing, but I won't go out looking for it."

"Okay, okay..." went Kuririn. "Well, looks like we'll need to pay Goku a visit."

"No," said Yamucha.

"No?" Kuririn repeated. "What're you talking about?"

"No aliens, Kuririn."

"But...why won't you..."

"Look Kuririn, how many times has some threat come and we had to run and hide hoping some big, strong alien would come and save our butts? Goku, Piccolo," Yamucha stopped, as if he couldn't stomach what was coming next, "Vegeta..."

"But Yamucha-"

"NO! This is our planet! And we are going to defend it ourselves."

"And what about Gohan?"

"What about Gohan?"

"He IS half Human you know," said Kuririn. "By your own words, he has as much right to defend the planet as any of us."

"In case you haven't been playing attention to the way things have gone in the past ten or so years, Gohan is a Saiyan first." Yamucha thought for a second, "Maybe Videl..."

"You know if Videl gets involved in this, Gohan will want to join in also, for her."

"Aw damn..." Yamucha paused again. "Okay then, how about this...we'll ask Videl for her help. We will not ask Gohan though. But, if Gohan decides he wants to join us, I won't object."

Kuririn smiled, "Sounds reasonable."

"Good," interjected Kassex. "Now, let's get going before the bonding is complete."

This caught the two warriors off guard. "Wait, time out," said Yamucha, making the 'T' with his hands. "What is this bonding you're talking about?"

"Er...well…once one of those items that makes up Xeon are placed on a host body, you have a short amount of time before you can't remove them without killing the host. The power bands and gateway bond almost instantaneously. The crown that houses Xeon's consciousness, since it has to totally subdue the host's old personality, takes three days to bond."

"Geez, you couldn't have told us this TWO DAYS ago when we started this trip?"

"Yamucha, calm down," went Kuririn. "This means we don't have much time to save Tenshinhan. Let me get changed real quick so we can leave right away." Yamucha nodded and Kuririn hurried off.

As Yamucha turned to wait outside for his friend, a hand was put on his shoulder, motioning him to halt. Looking behind him, Yamucha found Kuririn's wife, who favored him with a look that was more stern than usual. "Did you need something?" 

"I know Kuririn is eager to go off into battle and prove his worth as a fighter and I know I won't be able to stop him from going no matter how much I want to," #18 said. "But I will say that what I want from you is for you make sure he comes back alive. Understand?" Yamucha's features, which had been growing harder and harder since he left Capsule Corporation for what seemed so long ago, suddenly softened at #18's demand. "What?"

"Kuririn sure is a lucky man," stated Yamucha. "I wish I had a wife like you." #18 was caught so off guard by his comment, she let a blush slip through her facade. 

"Ready!" said Kuririn as he appeared from the recesses of the house, dressed in his orange gi.

"That was quick," stated Yamucha.

"Well, like I said, we don't have much time."

Yamucha nodded. "Hey Kassex, let's go."

"Right," answered Kassex. With that, the trio moved outside. Once there, Yamucha scooped up the woman and the three launched themselves into the sky, flying off to the storm.

Watching them disappear into the horizon, #18 reflected on what Yamucha said. "Humph, I'm the one that's lucky to have Kuririn," she said, sure no one else could hear. Then, with a myriad of meanings behind it, she added, "I just hope I don't lose him..."

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	7. Third Eye

The first item of business on Xeon's road to conquest was to find a suitable place to stage his attacks from. After all, it just wouldn't do to begin a quest to become the world's new king without a grand palace made for one to live in.

He and G'nola flew all over the vast city. While there were many grand buildings all around, none fit the mould Xeon was after. Truly, it seemed that while humanity had progressed greatly in the realm of technology, they lost all style regarding construction. 

"Just look at this place," went Xeon. "It's so loud...and the air is so polluted...I don't see how anyone could live in such conditions. These people desperately need me to take over. Without me to rule them, they'll likely kill themselves." 

G'nola flew slightly behind Xeon, saying nothing. That Xeon was certainly full of himself. It pained him to think that he had to be indentured to such an arrogant buffoon.  Even with his incredible increase in power, G'nola was sure that he could destroy Xeon with no problem. What was a problem, though, was that jewel that seemed to be embedded in his chest. As long as he had possession of that jewel, Xeon could rip him apart. 

What could he do to defeat that stupid jewel?

"There, G'nola!" Following the outstretched arm downward, G'nola found a rather large estate. It was only three stories high, but it's depth, in contrast was rather fast. It was set in a garden-like estate with a fountain in the front walkway. It was the closest thing to a castle the city had to offer. "It's a bit of a fixer-upper, but it has potential. This will be our home," Xeon confirmed.

Touching down in the front yard, G'nola had to admit that it wasn't a bad choice for a base of operations and the future home of the ruler of the world. He gave a passing glance to the front gate. It seemed to have some letters on the arch above the entryway. They appeared illegible to him and quite frankly; he didn't feel the need to bother himself with such trifles. 

If her were on the outside of the gate, instead of inside, he would've seen that the word in the arch clearly spelled out the name 'Satan".

Dreamweaver Studios Presents

Dragonball Z

Third Eye

Part Six

Things were so different then they were just a few weeks ago. Even flying was something even more special than it was before. For Videl, the day she came out of Neo's control was like a rebirth. It was like she was on fire on the inside and she was loving every minute of it. The new power coursing inside of her gave her a rush every time she used it. It was everything she had ever wanted and more. Now, no matter what would come, she would be able to fight at Gohan's side like a true partner.

Ah, Gohan. The mere thought of his name sent another jolt of electricity up Videl's spine. She always knew of Gohan's feelings for her, but she really wanted to hear him say it. She found it kind of funny that Gohan could go toe to toe with a being that wiped out the entire population with a raise of the hand and not bat an eye, yet he would shy and cower away when it came to saying three words.

Well, he finally told her those three magic, all-important words...and it only took her nearly beating him to death while under the control of an evil android to get him to say them. She really hoped it wouldn't have to come to that to get him to say those words again, but it had definitely been worth it. 

A smile crept across her face as she remembered the days immediately after the mess with Neo. She absolutely refused to let Gohan take one of the last senzu beans Piccolo had on his person. With her new strength, she hefted Gohan back to his house and nursed him back to health herself. That was a battle in itself, her having to constantly compete with Gohan's mother to attend to him.

But that exercise was made worthwhile as, when Chichi's attention was averted, she and Gohan shared their very first kiss. It wasn't the long, romantic kiss she had seen in the romance movies, but it was one of the most amazing things she had ever experienced...up there with the first time she had learned how to fly.

With that done, she had taken to planning her next line of attack. In a few hours, Gohan would be stopping by her house for some 'training'. Videl knew the training was sorely needed, because other than flight, she really had no clue how to handle her powers. She could imitate the things she saw the other fighters doing, but she would, no doubt, be a danger to herself and those she cared about unless she had proper training.

It was what would come after the training that Videl looked forward to. With her father out of town on one of his "I'm the savior of the world, adore me" tours, it was the opportunity she had been looking for. She was going to have her chef make the finest banquet ever. Dim the lights in the dining room, light a couple of candles, dismiss the help and it would be her and Gohan having their first romantic dinner. And after that...

Oh yes. Tonight was going to be a very good night.

**      **

Xeon watched with sadistic pleasure as the servants of the Satan mansion ran away in fear. This was more like it...and soon, people all over the world would fear him just the same. He charged a bit of ki onto the tips of his fingers and blasted a vase near the main door for good measure as the last butler ran for his life.

"The rest of the house is empty," said G'nola, walking up behind him.

"Very good," responded Xeon. "Now, it's time I bring back my trusted generals. Hopefully they haven't met any unpleasant fates as Dabura has." Xeon placed his palms together, as if saying a prayer, and concentrated. The jewel on his chest began to radiate a glow, which soon encompassed his entire body. In front of him two rips in the fabric of space and time appeared and from those two rips, came two more demons.

As the two demons materialized, Xeon fell to one knee, panting heavily. G'nola looked at him with a raised eyebrow. This could've been the moment he was waiting for to free himself from Xeon's servitude. He thought better of it, because he didn't know whom it was he called over. With Xeon's new allies at his side, he figured it would be better for him to continue to bide his time.

"Where am I" Went a tall, lanky yellowish demon. He turned and looked at G'nola and Xeon, menacingly.

Xeon looked up at him and smiled. "Come now, O'ro. Don't tell me you've forgotten your master Xeon already..."

The demon Xeon referred to as O'ro blinked. "It...It can't be..."

"I said that I would return, didn't I?" Xeon stood up. "Well here I am. And I'm sure you are as interested in getting your revenge for the defeat we suffered at the hands of the Humans so long ago."

A short purplish demon looked at the orb centered in Xeon's forehead, which covered his third eye. "It...it is him!" The smaller demon immediately walked right in front of Xeon and bowed for him. 

O'ro finally noticed his companion. "Grahm?"

"Yes," said Xeon. "Grahm was always the most observant of the group. Well, O'ro, what are you going to do?" As Grahm had done before, O'ro walked in front of Xeon and bowed to him.

G'nola noticed something that perhaps Xeon missed or didn't care about. It seemed, from the expressions of the newcomers, they weren't thrilled with Xeon's return and weren't supplicating themselves to him by choice. It seemed they had felt the sting of Xeon's gate at one point. That knowledge may prove to be useful in the future.

"Rise, my old friends," went Xeon. "As we did before, we will put these people under our heels. And this time, our kingdom will envelop this whole planet." As he spoke, his power began to radiate. O'ro and Grahm stood and took a step back, awed by Xeon's new power. "The four of us should be able to take over this city ourselves. This will be our capital and this," he turned and pointed to the mansion behind them, "will be our castle."

"I don't think so."

Slowly descending from the sky, Videl touched down in the middle of the walkway between the house and the front gate. She surveyed the four intruders standing in her doorway. Three of them looked to be being similar to Dabura, whom she met while she was dead. She didn't know who the fourth guy was but she could tell they were all quite powerful. Of course, she was no longer a pushover herself.

"I don't know what you guys think you're doing here," said Videl, "But this is MY house. You will have to leave."

"Oh really?" challenged Grahm. "I don't think the little girl knows who she's dealing with." The small demon smiled. "Time to teach this child a lesion she'll never forget...if she survives, that is..."

"You should be careful," went G'nola. "There are Humans here that are incredibly powerful. You'd better watch yourself with this one."

"Heh, I don't know who you think you are," said Grahm. "But you'd do well not to speak to ME in such a manner. She's just a mere Human. I will deal with her with no problem."

G'nola crossed his arms and scowled at his new comrade, "Feh...idiot."

Grahm launched himself at Videl. He reared his fist back and threw a punch at her face that would behead any normal Human. Videl, with no effort, caught Grahm's fist right in front of her face. She couldn't help but smile when she saw the small demon's surprised expression. In the blink of an eye, she dropped the Grahm's hand and landed a spin kick on his head that sent him flying into a tree near the outer gate of the estate.

G'nola looked at the felled demon with an amused look. "That's what you get for not listening..." Turning his eyes front, he noticed O'ro's movements. "And now the other fool makes his move..."

The tallest of the three demons charged Videl. He rained down a barrage of punches and kicks, all of which Videl dodged with little effort. O'ro threw a stronger punch at her, which left him overextended. Videl took advantage of the opening by kneeing the intruder in the mid section and followed up by a backhand that propelled him to the other end of the estate.

Turning her attention to the remaining invaders, Videl said with a smirk, "Last chance. You can go out the easy way, or you can do like your friends and go out the hard way."

G'nola stepped forward sporting a smirk of his own. "Those two were idiots. They underestimated you because you are a Human and appear weak. I know better..."

"Do you really?" Confidence swelling within her, Videl charged. This was what she had dreamed of ever since she met Gohan and his friends. True, she would've preferred having earned the power herself, but to be able to do so much so soon was like a dream. Her smile grew as she, apparently, was pushing G'nola back with her onslaught. 

The girl, G'nola noticed, while quite strong, didn't seem to have much experience. She seemed quite pleased with herself regarding the progress she was making in her attack. Any experienced fighter would've recognized right off that he wasn't really backpedaling form her attack, but merely feeling her out. 

'The girl will be getting her experience,' G'nola thought to himself. 'It's too bad she won't be able to put this experience to any future use. Time to die girl.'

Unable to block or counter, Videl found herself the recipient of a hard punch to the stomach. The blow was so unexpected, she had no time to prepare herself for it, which left her doubled over and unable to further defend herself. That left G'nola open to follow up with an elbow to the back of her head that knocked her out.

"Heh...very good G'nola," Xeon said. "Now, finish her off."

'Idiot...like I needed him to tell me that.' Gathering his ki, G'nola took aim to finish Videl off for good.

**      **

It was lunchtime at the Son household. For Chichi, it seemed as if it was mealtime all the time seeing as how it was Goku, Gohan and Goten she was serving. She couldn't help but smile as she watched her husband and two sons sitting at the table stuffing their faces. It had been a rare thing for the whole family to be sitting at the table and eating all at the same time. There always seemed to be some sort of crisis or something that kept them apart. It finally looked as though they were going to have a nice, quiet and (and if Goku had anything to say about it) long dinner.

Suddenly, Gohan snapped to attention, stopping in mid bite. His eyes darted left and right, as if trying to pinpoint something making a sound only he could hear.

"Gohan," went Chichi. "What's wrong?"

Without a word, Gohan bolted out of the dining room, ran outside and rocketed into the early afternoon sky.

"Well, that was rather rude," mused Chichi. "I wonder what that was about?"

Goku swallowed what he was chewing and commented, "I don't know. Maybe he had a date with Videl that he forgot about?"

"Heh...that wouldn't surprise me," Chichi said. "Gohan's good with his schooling and his martial arts, but relationships is a great weakness for him. Well, I'm sure Videl will teach him all he'll need to know. She's a really nice girl...huh?" To her dismay, Chichi found that she was talking to herself. Goku had become so wrapped up in stuffing his face again, he wasn't paying any attention to her. "*Sigh* I guess I should've known better..."

**      **

An hour or so after they left Roshi's island, Kuririn and Yamucha with Kassex in his arms finally reached the mainland. It wouldn't be long until they reached Satan City. As Yamucha and Kassex were the ones in the group that had already fought with Xeon before, they were totally absorbed in the encounter that was upcoming. 

Only Kuririn noticed the energy spike from the Paozu mountain area. "Hey Yamucha, did you feel that?"

"Huh?" went Yamucha. "Feel what?"

Kuririn looked off to his left, apparently at nothing but open sky. "That feels like Gohan. Seems something has him spooked. His energy output is off the charts." He paused for a moment and then continued, "Looks like he's going to Satan City also."

Great. So much for there not being any alien involvement. "Something must be going on at Satan City that we don't know about. If only we could go faster..."

"If you can go faster, then do it," Kassex said.

"Are you sure?"

She nodded. "Don't worry about me. Just do it."

"Okay then. Get ready..." Kassex buried her face into Yamucha's chest to protect her face and eyes from the wind. Once she did that, Yamucha flared his ki and increased his flying speed exponentially with Kuririn following suit immediately after.

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He could feel it happening again.

Something was tugging at the fabric of space and time. The barriers that were keeping him confined in that pocket of nothing were weakening at an amazing rate. He could already feel some of his power returning to him. 

Freedom was so close he could taste it. He just had to try to break out of his confines. He gathered the little bit of energy he had and expended it as much as he could, trying to finish what the disturbance on the outside started. 

Almost there...

His muscles began to throb and sweat rolled down his forehead at the arduous task he was undertaking. Trying to break even such a weak special barrier with so little power was very strenuous. One of his sort, however, never complained about how difficult a task was. 

Almost there...

He was so close...to be able to fly free through the cosmos as he did before the Kaioshin locked him in this prison void. He was so close...he wouldn't stop the exertion no matter how much stress he had to endure. 

Almost...

There was an almost audible pop as the flimsy barrier that held him between the prison void and regular space finally collapsed. He was overjoyed at the appearance of a star field that appeared on the other side of the small hole. The moment he went through, he could feel his full power return to him. By reflex, he stretched his arms and legs as if he were finally able to move after being stuck in a cramped space for a long period of time.

…which in affect he was. But that's all over with.  

Now, that he had his freedom, there was only one thing he had on his mind. 

He was going to destroy the Kaioshin for what they did to him.

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	8. Third Eye

In the northwestern continent, a stately mansion is nestled in a remote mountain range. With the house's remote location and the difficulty usually involved with traveling through such terrain, it's extremely rare that the current occupant has to worry about dealing with visitors...which suited him just fine. 

The occupant in question was an old man in relatively decent shape. He stood five feet, ten inches tall. He would be taller still but age had taken its toll and left him hunched over. With his cutting gaze and stone-faced features, he was still quite an imposing figure. With his slicked back silver hair and charcoal business suit, he personified the word dignity. To complete the strong, dignified look, he walked with a cane, though he really didn't need it.

What was most apparent about his features was a small item he wore on his collar. It was a pin in the shape of a red ribbon.

He stood in his office pacing back and forth in front of his desk. On the top of his desk was a plaque commemorating years of outstanding service for one retired General Magenta. At the bottom left corner of the plaque was an inscription of his likeness.

This General Magenta was the last member of the Red Ribbon army to retire from service before Son Goku destroyed the rest of the organization. When news of the defeat of the main army reached the retirees, they all sore vengeance against Son Goku, no matter what it took. The first to take a crack at him was Dr. Gero. Of course, that turned out to be a total failure.

Many more have tried to put plans into action; unfortunately, the other retirees didn't live long enough to have their plans enacted. Magenta, the last of the retirees decided it was his turn. Gathering what was left of the younger fringe operatives that were newly recruited, he created Neo and set him off against Goku. Unfortunately, that plan, also, ended in failure. 

So now, he had to conjure a new plan to defeat Goku. But first, he had to find Neo and have him dismantled as punishment for his failure. However, Neo had gone into hiding and was proving to be very bothersome to locate. 

"Idiots, every last one of them," he said about the people still associate with the Red Ribbon Army. "If I were still in active service, no one would've been able to have stood up against us...especially not a child. The army would've been flourishing today...we would've had the dragonballs in our possession and we would be ruling the world."

He sat down at his desk and began to rub his temples. "Now look at us. Not even a shadow of what we once were. We can't even take revenge for the downfall of our once great organization. We can't even locate that damned failure, Neo. This is all too much to bear. Once Neo is found and dealt with, it's over. I will finally concede defeat to Son Goku, and disband the last of our operatives. The Red Ribbon Army will be no more."

"Giving up, old man? Tisk tisk." A tall, burly man with black, spiky hair walked into Magenta's office, with an evil grin on his face.

"How did you get into my office? Who are you?" demanded Magenta.

"Why, I'm that damned failure you're looking for."

His eyes widened in fear. "Neo?"

"That's right." He spun himself around, as if he were in a fashion show. "Tell me, how do you like the new look?"

"But...how?"

"It's amazing what you can do with a little genetic engineering. Dr. Gero had a pretty good idea when he created Cell. I just happened to find some cellular samples that blew everything he had collected out of the water. And instead of creating another super warrior to send after Goku, I decided to make myself the super warrior."

Magenta scowled, "It can't be..."

"That's right," gloated Neo. "I'm ten times stronger and faster now than I was in that mishmash of a body you created for me. And that's when I'm not even powered up." He paused for a moment and then added, "Oh yeah...it doesn't have that other feature you added either..."

"No..."

"Yes. I found that little bit of code you hardwired into my body that kept me from attacking you. I found it quite useful as I also hardwired it into those nanobots I infused those four humans with. Of course, now that it's no longer active in me, I can get to do something I've wanted to do for a long time..." He raised his hand and created a sphere of energy in his palm.

"NO!" Magenta activated his intercom. "SECURITY!"

"I've already taken care of them." Neo savored the horrified look on Magenta's face for a few seconds more, then fired, reducing the old man to ash. "As you said...the Red Ribbon Army is no more."

Dreamweaver Studios Presents

Dragonball Z

Third Eye

Part Seven

What could be said about these Humans? For the longest time, G'nola and all of his kind looked down upon the Humans as weaker beings, not really worth their time except for the occasional sport.

The group of Humans alive in this generation has done so many things with the materials they had at their disposal, even he had to admit, it was wondrous. All of the tall buildings, the machines they use to perform their tasks, and the other creations made to make their lives easier were more than anything even the citizens of the demon realm could fathom. 

It was almost a shame that he had to blow them all to hell. But there again, it was all for sport. He had to be careful, though, not to kill anyone...for right now. Besides, it was rather enjoyable to see the little weaklings scurrying around, running and crying for their lives while all the technological marvels they created are blown away by the wave of a hand. 

The need to stick to business came abruptly to G'nola, as he could feel an incredible power closing swiftly upon him. It was the same one he had felt before. He remembered back to when he and that girl had that little confrontation. He had defeated her easily enough, and Xeon ordered him to kill her. He was going to do just that when he felt a great power appear out of nowhere and started in their direction. That was when he gave Xeon the line about having a hostage and convinced him to keep her alive.

It was a gamble. He was hoping that whoever it was that was coming would be on friendly terms with the girl and would want to kill Xeon for harming her. He was about to find out if his gamble had paid off. 

A bright ball of energy appeared in front of him and quickly dissipated, revealing a person inside. This person wore the same orange gi with the dark blue shirt underneath that the other person with the scars on his face sported. 

"Where's Videl?" he asked.

G'nola was genuinely confused by the question. "Who?"

"She defends this city. You couldn't be doing this without having to deal with her first. What did you do with her?"

He must've been talking about that girl from the mansion. Yes, looks like his gamble was, indeed, about to pay off. He had to make this look good, though. If he just lead him back to the girl, he may get suspicious and complicate everything. "Oh...her." He put on his best smirk and continued, "She's a guest of my master. And if you want to get to them, you'll have to go through me first." He charged the newcomer, launching a barrage of kicks and punches at him.

Gohan dodged the faux attack with ease and caught him in the mid section with a hard right hand that doubled him over. Gohan followed up with an elbow to the back of his head that propelled him down and through the asphalt of the city street below. 

As he pulled himself out of the large crater he made, G'nola marveled at the incredible power the man possessed...he was clearly much stronger than the girl, or that other man he faced earlier. Even still, he appeared to be holding a great deal of his power back. If this was what he had to face, it was no wonder Dabura met his end here. 

Slowly, Gohan descended to street level. Glaring at the demon, he threatened, "Last chance."

"F-fine," G'nola answered, not needing to act intimidated. "I'll take you to the girl..."

**      **

"Hmm...that's interesting...Hey O'ro! Take a look at this..."

Taking a respite from causing panic below, O'ro turned his attention to his cohort. "What is it Grahm?"

"Isn't that G'nola?"

"Yeah."

"Who's that with him?"

"Hmm..." O'ro strained to see the second person flying behind the strongest of their group. "It appears to be a mortal."

"Geez...I wonder how many of these incredibly strong mortals there are around here?"

"No idea." O'ro paused for a moment. "Say...you don't think this is part of G'nola's plan, do you?"

Grahm thought about it for a moment. "That's a good question. Let's follow them and see."

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"Here we are," said Yamucha. "Remember...this is our last chance to save Tenshinhan. We can't blow it this time."

"I know," went Kassex. "This time, I'll do it right."

"Good. We're counting on you."

"Whoa..." went Kuririn. "The power for this Xeon guy is impressive. I can understand why you had so much trouble with him." There was a short pause, then he said, "Hey...isn't that Gohan?"

"What?" Yamucha didn't have to extend his senses much to feel the awesome power of the Human/Saiyan hybrid. He was clearly agitated over something. Yamucha could also tell that he was moving in Xeon's direction. "I can't believe this! Brace yourself, Kassex. We're going to kick it up another notch. Kuririn!"

"Right" Again, the Human warriors increased their energy output, increasing their velocity.

**      **      **      **      **      **      **      **      **      **      **      **      **

What was wrong? 

Videl opened her eyes weakly, trying to assess her situation. For some reason, she couldn't move. For all her power, her own arms and legs were too heavy for her to budge. 

What was wrong? 

Everything.

Why was this still happening? Videl thought that once she acquired power to rival that of the Saiyans, this sort of thing wouldn't happen anymore. Granted she didn't have experience using those powers, but it wasn't as if she were new to the realm of fighting. So why was it she was in the situation she was currently in?

More importantly, how could she get out of the situation she was currently in?

Suddenly, as much as she could with her heavy eyelids, her eyes lit up. She still didn't have the ability to sense power levels like Gohan or the others, but she didn't need that ability to sense the enormous amount of energy that was quickly racing their way. Nor did she need that ability to know who that energy belonged to.

Slowly, G'nola and Gohan touched down on the front lawn of the Satan estate. Immediately, he felt Videl's ki. That was a good thing since, from what he understood, Videl and the others kidnapped by Neo had to make a conscious effort to have their ki read.

After taking a few steps towards the mansion, he actually saw Videl. She was lying on the front porch with a strange, glowing collar around her neck. A chain attached the collar to a deck chair. And sitting in the deck chair was...

Gohan's jaw hit the ground.

Xeon stood up from the deck chair and demanded, "G'NOLA! I was enjoying the little show you were providing me. What is the meaning of this?" Xeon stopped dead in his tracks...It was Yamucha again... 'Wait...' Xeon thought to himself. 'That isn't him. It's someone else dressed similarly. But what of his power?' Xeon focused his senses, trying to tap into his ability to sense other people's ki.

Xeon's jaw hit the ground.

"I had no choice," went G'nola. He was kneeling in front of Xeon with his head bowed low...so Xeon couldn't see the large smirk on his face. "He demanded that I bring him here. He was too powerful for me to challenge..."

It was true...he was very powerful...more powerful than even his nemesis, Yamucha. How in the world would he be able to defeat this one? His mind raced, trying to come up with an idea to win over this newcomer. That was when he noticed that his new opponent's face mirrored his own in shock.

"Tenshinhan..." went Gohan. "It can't be..."

Oh...so the boy knew of the body's previous owner too, huh? And this one seems reluctant to battle. Good. This may go well for him anyway. But...first thing's first. The jewel in the middle of his chest began to glow and the unbearable flow of agony ripped through G'nola once again.

"That's for being such a coward. And you fancy yourself as the new king of demons? Hah!" He turned his attention to Gohan, "And now, for you..."

'This is strange,' thought Gohan. 'He looks just like Tenshinhan...but his energy signature is so different...Plus the way he lords over that demon...he CAN'T be Tenshinhan…' With that last thought in mind, Gohan launched himself at Xeon.

The move caught Xeon off his guard and Gohan tagged him with a hard punch to his stomach and another to the nose. 

Great...once again, it's not going to go as easily as Xeon expected. Again, Gohan charged, but this time, Xeon was ready, countering every attack sent at him. 'This kid is good,' Xeon thought. 'And with all the power he has behind his attacks, it still feels as though he's holding a great deal back. It's no wonder G'nola gave in...if I am to have any chance at winning, I can't hold anything back!'

Upping his power considerably, Xeon managed to slip through Gohan's onslaught and landed a straight kick to his mid section. The attack sent Gohan flying back, but he managed to regain his footing and stay upright. Xeon raced through his mind to find a good attack to strike him with. Doing so, he brought his hands together in the form of a triangle.

"KIKOHOU!!!" 

His immense attack totally enveloped Gohan and completely incinerated half of the front yard and countless city blocks unfortunate to be in its path. 

When the attack dissipated, much to Xeon's dismay, Gohan was still standing, with his arms covering his face. Slowly, Gohan lowered his arms exposing his face. Xeon could tell...Gohan was hurt.

'The force behind that attack was incredible...' thought Gohan. 'More than anything he SHOULD be able to generate...but...but that WAS Tenshinhan's attack...' Gohan took in every nuance of his opponent's features. 'Could...could he REALLY be Tenshinhan?'

"You managed to withstand that attack pretty well," Xeon commented. "I wonder how well you'd manage to take another one?" The energy of his stolen body began to cackle, reading himself for his next assault.

Before he was able to fire, Xeon's other demonic cohorts, O'ro and Grahm fell to the Earth in front of him with an unceremonious thud, causing his concentration to falter.

A split second later, Kuririn landed between them and Gohan, with Yamucha and Kassex not far behind. "Heh...those two goons were easy. Both on me at once and I didn't even break a sweat," Kuririn bragged. 

Gohan's eyes lit up, "Kuririn!"

"Hey Gohan. Decided to join our little party, did ya?"

Gohan eyed the girl that was with Yamucha. "Hey...who's that?"

"Kassex," Yamucha went, never taking his eyes off of Xeon. "She's the only one who has the power to save Tenshinhan."

"So that really is Tenshinhan?" asked Gohan.

"It's a long story," said Yamucha. "Best saved for later."

Xeon looked at his comrades with disgust. "Dammit, I'm surrounded by useless idiots!" Xeon raced back to the front porch and grabbed the chain that held Videl. "I'm guessing that you guys know this girl here. Even if you don't, I'm pretty sure you are the heroic types who wouldn't want to see any innocents get harmed. You will back off now, or else..."

The glow around the chain and collar intensified. Videl's eyes nearly popped out of her skull and she began feebly clawing at the collar. She was being choked to death.

Gohan's aura exploded as he watched Videl being tortured. Tenshinhan or no, he would be damned before he let anyone harm her. Kuririn tried his best to restrain his friend's son. "Easy Gohan!"

"You'd do well to restrain him," went Xeon. "Anyone take one step towards me, and I'll kill her instantly." He lifted the chain for emphasis, wrenching her head upwards.

Then, inexplicably, the chain and collar came apart, causing Videl to fall to the Earth. "WHAT???" boomed Xeon. He lifted the chain to eye level where the break was. "This was a special metal crafted in the demon realm! No mortal should be able to break it...no matter how powerful they are..."

"You're right...it wasn't broken by a mortal"

Xeon's face contorted to display his barely contained rage, "G'NOLA!!!"

Seeing Xeon distracted, Gohan made his move, going to the porch, grabbing Videl and moving back to his group all within a blink of an eye. Now that Videl was safe, Xeon had no more cards to play. 

"You seem to be in a tough situation now, Lord," G'nola said, mockingly. 

"Damn you!!!"

"So...what are you going to do now? Punish me? Or defend yourself from your enemies? You can't do both, so you'll have to choose wisely." G'nola turned to his fellow demons. "Now then, let's go...unless you want to continue taking orders from a mortal..." With that, G'nola ascended to the skies above. Faced with a choice of freedom to do as they pleased, or servitude to a being that demons felt were beneath them, O'ro and Grahm decided the former was best, so they picked themselves up off of the ground and flew off following G'nola.

"I'LL GET YOU! ALL OF YOU WILL PAY FOR BETRAYING ME!!!" ranted Xeon.

"I don't think so," Kassex said, her magical energies coming to life around her. "We're going to beat you here and now and return that body to its rightful owner!" 

There was no denying it...this was it...just like before. No allies left and enemies surrounding him at every turn. The desperation was clear on Xeon's stolen face. 

Yamucha recognized his expression and stepped in front. Being a desert bandit for so long, he dealt with various wild animals. He knew when a wild animal was in a desperate situation and flight wasn't possible, there was only one thing left to do.

As he expected, Xeon attacked ferociously, with fists and feet flying at a breakneck pace. Yamucha easily blocked every one and landed a kick to his chest that propelled him back to the mansion. In mid flight, Xeon fired a ki blast at their general direction. Yamucha swatted it away and shot himself between Xeon and the mansion, landing another kick that planted him face first into the ground. 

After painfully adjusting himself face up, Xeon received a knee to the stomach. Now that the would-be tyrant was pinned to the ground, Yamucha latched onto the gem in the middle of his forehead. Again, a powerful jolt of energy engulfed Yamucha, washing him over with untold pain. But as he bore the deep, seething pain of Bulma's betrayal for seven long years, he bore this as well and held on to the jewel for his...and Tenshinhan's life. "KASSEX! DO IT NOW!"

'I can do this...' Kassex chanted to herself, eyes closed. 'I can do this...' She opened her eyes and brought her hands together in front of her, "OH SPIRIT OF THE EARTH, UNDO EVIL'S BIND! MAKE THIS MONSTER'S THIRD EYE BLIND!" 

Once again, the wind whipped up violently, and Yamucha and Xeon were enveloped in the bright magical light. After the spell's work was completed, both the light and the wind died down. Once it was safe to uncover their eyes, everyone looked up to the magic's handy work.

Yamucha, who was in the middle of the magic's focus, checked himself out to make sure he still had his clothes on, or wasn't turned into a frog or anything like that. Once he found that he was, more or less, okay, he looked down at his adversary. He was unconscious...and was minus the gem in the middle of his forehead. Yamucha looked into his clenched hand, opened it up and smiled upon finding the gem inside.

He stood up and walked back to his band of comrades. "Did you get it?" asked Kuririn.

"Yeah, I got it," Yamucha said, relief evident in his voice. "You did it, Kassex. Way to go." Kassex sighed and gave a laugh of relief. Yamucha looked back at the prone form, "Will he be okay?"

"Since we got the jewel with Xeon's essence off of him before the binding was complete, he should be just fine and himself when he wakes up," she answered. Yamucha nodded in understanding. Kassex looked down at the jewel in Yamucha's hand, "Now...what to do with that little trouble maker right there?"

"Tenshinhan wasn't the first to fall victim to Xeon," said Yamucha. "Chances are, he won't be the last either. And there's no telling in the future if someone will be there powerful enough to stand against him if anything like this ever happened again. There's only one thing to do." Yamucha closed his hand around the gem again and there was a distinct crack heard. He, then, opened his hand and the shattered pieces of the gem that held Xeon's essence fell to the ground. With nothing left to contain his essence, Xeon faded into oblivion.

"Now...once and for all...it's over." 

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	9. Third Eye

"How are you feeling?" asked Gohan.

"A little better now..." went Videl. It had been a few hours since Yamucha and the others left. Gohan stayed behind to make certain that Videl would recover from her ordeal. He was barely able to contain his excitement when she began to stir. Still, he protectively cradled her head in his lap. Something Videl didn't mind in the least. In fact, she feigned unconsciousness for a few minutes, so she could enjoy it for a while longer.

"I'm glad to hear it," he answered.

Slowly, Videl sat upright, careful to disturb tender areas as little as possible and hung her head. "I can't believe how easily I was beaten today...I thought for sure that I'd be able to hold my own against the enemies you guys have to face…"

Gohan couldn't bring himself to say anything. He went through that same thing all those years ago, so he knew exactly how she felt. But, he didn't see her in action, so he couldn't make an honest statement about her performance either way. So, he simply put a hand on her shoulder and hoped to be as comforting as possible.

"Gohan...I want you to step up my training, okay? I hate being so useless..." She looked up at him, sadness and determination in her eyes, "I want you to be able to depend on me...and I want to be able to come through for you when you do..."

He favored her with one of 'those' smiles...one his father was usually the one to provide. "You know...you're exactly the same way I was when we were about to fight Cell...you have a deal. I hope you know, I won't go easy on you."

Videl smiled at him and then retorted, "I'd give ya a good kick in the butt if you did..." Their eyes locked for a moment longer than they should have, both staring, mesmerized, at the other, as if they were deer caught in an oncoming car's headlights. Their hearts began to race and their breaths quickened as their faces inched ever closer towards each other. These were not the ideal circumstances either had in mind for this momentous event, but this was—

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAK!!!!"

Gohan fell over. "What? What's wrong???" 

"Look at this place!" Videl's head darted back and fourth looking at the estate's front yard, which had served as a battlefield only moments ago. "If my dad comes back and sees this place like this, he's going to kill me!"

It was Gohan's turn to hang his head, "Aww man...that close..."

Dreamweaver Studios Presents

Dragonball Z:

Third Eye

Epilogue

Slowly, Tenshinhan opened his eyes. What in the world happened to him? The last thing he remembered, he was on the Celeron continent investigating an old castle. The next thing he knew, he was there...wherever there was...

Moving was difficult. His head was so cloudy it was hard to make out up and down. Still, he forced himself to sit up in the bed he was lying in.

Bed?

He looked down and saw that he was, indeed, in a real bed, his legs still covered by the sheets and blanket. That was when he noticed something else that was bizarre...the armbands that used to adorn his wrists were replaced by a pair of strangely beautiful manacles. 

"Tenshinhan?"

Turning his head slightly to the side, Tenshinhan found his longtime friend and training partner, with a look of concern on his face. "Chaozu?"

Chaozu's face immediately lit up. "It is you! You're back!"

Needless to say, Chaozu's outburst confused him to no end. "What are you talking about Chaozu? And where are we?"

"We're at Master Roshi's house!" Chaozu grabbed his arm, "C'mon! Everyone will be glad to see you're okay!"

"Huh? Wait! What do you mean?" Tenshinhan went as he was being dragged out of the bedroom.

**      **

When Tenshinhan was brought back to the island, Chaozu was still unconscious. When Chaozu finally regain consciousness, he found Tenshinhan was in the room with him, so he stayed by his friend's bedside until he was awake as well. So it was a surprise to everyone else in the house to see both coming down the stairs doing, relatively, well.

"Tenshinhan! Chaozu! You're both okay!" Immediately, Kuririn, Puar, Roshi, and Kassex surrounded them. Yamucha and 18 with Marron on her lap stayed back and watched the scene as it unfolded. Yamucha had a triumphant smile on his face.

"You certainly had everyone hopping for a while, didn't you?" Roshi said in jest.

The number of question marks dancing over Tenshinhan's head grew in number. "What is everyone talking about?"

"It's a long story," said Kuririn. Tenshinhan's stomach grumbled, which elicited a slight blush from the triclops. Kuririn laughed, "One that can be told over dinner. Come on. You're going to be quite surprised to find out what you've been doing for the past few days."

Tenshinhan was shocked again. "Days?"

"Hey," Chaozu called to Kassex.

"Yeah?"

"I just wanted to thank you. You saved his life."

Kassex gave him a peck on the cheek. "It was nothing. I mean, you saved my life. It was the least I could do for you." She gave him the brightest smile she had ever given to anyone. That, plus the small kiss caused the small warrior's face to change color again, from white to a deep red.

At seeing this, Yamucha's countenance dropped. After giving a quick glance to 18 and her and Kuririn's daughter, he made his way outside.

**      **

Another day was coming to an end. The rays of the setting sun set the sky ablaze in bright orange, giving the illusion that it was fighting a losing battle against the coming darkness. He didn't want to admit it to anyone, but a small part of Yamucha had to admit that the metaphor seemed to hold true for him as well.

It seemed everything was reminding him of what he had lost, from what would normally be thought of as the romantic setting he found himself in, to the love, old and new just inside of the house. It was pure hell for him to be stuck living in the present, while his heart was still lost in the past.

"Yamucha?"

Turning his head, Yamucha found his long time friend, Puar. She was the only constant in his miserable life. Sometimes, he felt, the only friend he had in the world.

"Yamucha, aren't you going to come inside? They served a plate for you and it's getting cold."

"No...it's time to go."

"Huh? Oh...okay…I'll just tell everyone that we'll be leaving and-"

"No. It's time for ME to go. I would like for you to stay here for a while."

"Huh? But why?"

Because, this was something even you could help with, old friend. Because he hurt so damned much...and he didn't want to end up hurting you as well. Because all the couples remind him of Bulma, which reminds him that she now sleeps with the enemy and that fact makes him want to snap. "Because...There's just some stuff in my head that I need to work out. I have to do this on my own." Puar face fell. "Hey...cheer up. You'll get to stay in comfort for a little while. And I won't be gone too long. Promise."

"Yamucha..."

"Take care, my friend. I won't be gone long." With that, Yamucha took to the skies.

As she watched Yamucha fly off into the sunset, something Chaozu said resonated in her mind, 'His power...it's horrifying...' A look of worry fell on Puar's face. "Yamucha...please be okay..."

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